Donald Trump administration leans on Romania to relax restrictions on Andrew Tate and brother Tristan, reports
Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly made multiple attempts to pressurise Romania to lift travel restrictions on Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who are facing a series of criminal charges in the country.
The pair have been released from house arrest, but are not allowed to leave the country. They deny charges of human trafficking, sexual misconduct and money laundering, as well as starting an organised crime group.
It is claimed US officials have discussed the Tates’ case with their Romanian counterparts, according to reports in The Financial Times.
Andrew Tate – a champion of Donald Trump – along with his brother are dual US and UK nationals.
The newspaper reports that, during several conversations, a request was made to return the brothers’ passports while legal proceedings continue.
Tate brothers: What are the charges?
It also claims that Mr Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell personally met Romania’s foreign minister, although Mr Grenell said he had “no substantive conversation” with Emil Hurezeanu and there was no follow-up.
However, according to The Financial Times, he said: “I support the Tate brothers as evident by my publicly available tweets.”
A spokesperson for Mr Hurezeanu told the newspaper: “Romanian courts are independent and operate based on the law, there is due process.”
Earlier this month Mr Grenell alleged that, under President Joe Biden’s administration, America’s aid programmes had been “weaponised against people and politicians who weren’t woke”, and referenced Romania as an example.
The post on X suggested that funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been used to strengthen Romania’s judicial system. Since Mr Trump’s inauguration, USAID programmes have been slashed.
Meanwhile, Tristan Tate also referenced the same claim in a post on X calling on supporters to find out “if any USAID went to Romania to fund any particular Lawfare base investigations”.
Andrew Tate has previously used the term ‘lawfare’ to compare the legal system to a weapon being used to target innocent people, like himself.
Andrew Tate at the court of appeals building in Bucharest. File pic: AP
Romania has also been targeted by vice president JD Vance, who last week criticised the decision of the country’s top court to cancel Romania’s elections because of accusations of Russian meddling.
Mr Vance dismissed allegations of a disinformation campaign.
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you,” he said.
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The brothers are fighting a series of legal battles not just in Romania, but the UK and now also the US. The Tate brothers have consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with all the legal action taking place.
A recent lawsuit filed in Florida accuses both Tate brothers of conspiring to coerce a woman into sex work, luring her to Romania and defaming her after her testimony to Romanian authorities. The Tate brothers had previously sued her for defamation in 2023.
Police in Bedfordshire are also investigating allegations of rape and human trafficking.
In January, an appeal court in Romania sent the case against the brothers back to prosecutors. They were also released from house arrest but told they cannot leave Romania.
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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