Andrew Tate has regained his freedom.
The controversial rightwing influencer, known for his anti-woman rhetoric, arrived in Florida last week after spending over two years in Romania facing charges of rape, sex trafficking, and money laundering. Romanian courts unexpectedly reversed their earlier decision to keep Tate from leaving the country following interest from several prominent figures in the Trump administration, including Donald Trump Jr., who described Tate’s apprehension as “absolute insanity.” Reports indicate that a Trump envoy discussed Tate’s case with Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu at a security conference in Munich in February; Tate managed to reach the US shortly thereafter. When questioned about Trump’s involvement in the release of Tate and his brother, their lawyer Joseph McBride remarked: “Do the math. These guys are on the plane.”
Given the numerous allegations of sexual abuse and violence against Andrew Tate, it can be a challenge to keep track of them all. After concluding a lackluster professional kickboxing career in 2014, Tate initially gained fame in the UK as a contestant on the 2016 season of the well-known reality TV show Big Brother. However, he was expelled from the show after producers learned of a police investigation into allegations of sexual assault and rape stemming from a 2015 arrest, which Tate denies.
Following his expulsion from television, Tate transitioned into a new career: that of a pimp. For several years, he has operated an online business where he collects revenue from women engaging in webcam pornography. After his exit from Big Brother, he became a vocal proponent of this business model, amassing nearly 11 million followers on Elon Musk’s X platform, a significant portion of whom are young boys.
Women who interacted with Tate during his time in England have described him as forceful, manipulative, coercive, and violent. Four of these women have filed civil lawsuits against him, claiming he assaulted them between 2013 and 2016. One woman alleges that Tate frequently choked her (Tate denies these claims). In the new book *Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate’s Manosphere*, authors Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea recount the harrowing account of a woman who knew Tate, who described a violent encounter where he yelled threats while she was hiding from him in a bathroom. Alongside the British civil lawsuits, Tate is currently wanted by police in Bedfordshire concerning a separate investigation into rape and sex trafficking, with an arrest warrant issued. (Tate denies wrongdoing.)
Eventually relocating to Romania, Tate noted in a now-deleted YouTube video that “40%” of his decision was based on the belief that sexual assault cases there were less likely to be pursued. However, that proved to be a miscalculation. In December 2022, his residence in Bucharest was raided, leading to charges against him and his brother Tristan in 2023 for the sex trafficking of seven women and money laundering. Tate personally faced rape charges, with prosecutors alleging that he used threats of violence and financial ruin to coerce women into participating in his webcam business. While on house arrest in Romania awaiting trial, Tate reportedly continued his exploitative operation; following a second raid in 2024, he faced additional charges, including those related to the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl. This indictment identified 35 known victims of trafficking, though both Tate and his brother deny all allegations.
Simultaneously, Andrew Tate has emerged as one of the most prominent public figures of his generation—perhaps not despite his alleged mistreatment of women, but rather because of it. He was the third most Googled name in 2023; numerous videos of him making misogynistic statements have circulated widely, including remarks that claim women are the property of men, that women are to blame for their own rapes, and that disobedient women deserve violence. (“It’s bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck. Shut up bitch,” states Tate in a typical clip.) His videos have been viewed over 11.6 billion times on TikTok alone.
Beyond his massive social media presence and webcam business, Tate actively produces various content, including videos and podcasts, and frequently appears on rightwing media outlets with figures like Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Piers Morgan. He monetizes his followers through several subscription services, including a seminar course known as The Real World (formerly Hustler’s University, which marketed a so-called “PhD” – “pimping hoes degree”). This venture charges a subscription fee and operates on a multi-level marketing model, allowing participants to both purchase his content and earn a commission for recruiting others. (Tate has rejected claims that this business model is a pyramid scheme.) The courses instruct men on how to, in Tate’s words, “Inspire a girl to make money and give you the money.” A data leak from the platform revealed that the subscription service boasts over 800,000 members.
Tate also provides a premium subscription service called The War Room for his most dedicated fans, costing $8,000 (an additional $5,000 grants access to “the Test,” a chance to fly to Romania for training with a professional MMA fighter). The War Room presents itself as a male-only secret society aimed at “liberating the modern man from socially induced incarceration”; however, a BBC investigation describes it as a coarse fraternity, merging elements of male bonding, self-help, and—allegedly—a networking group for pimps. Telegram messages obtained by the BBC reveal that members of The War Room discussed tactics to manipulate and deceive women into sex and prostitution, with the network identifying at least 45 women targeted for exploitation over a 13-month timeframe. Some women reported being groomed and pressured into webcam work by members of The War Room; the book by Tahsin and Shea also features testimonials from women who experienced grooming by Tate’s followers. These accounts reflect common patterns of gendered abuse: isolation from friends and family, exposure to violence and intimidation, and coercion into demeaning tasks as signs of submission. “This is how you train dogs,” reads one message from a War Room chat. The evidence gathered points to a vast, organized, and cash-driven network of sexual exploitation, operating overtly, led by a figure celebrated and rewarded by countless fans for his misogynistic views.
Could it really be a surprise that Andrew Tate aligns himself with Donald Trump? Or that many in Trump’s administration support Andrew Tate? In numerous ways, Tate represents the quintessential Maga man. Much like Trump, he appears to have radically shifted American men’s views to the right, particularly regarding gender issues. Furthermore, both seem to inspire far more abuse than they have personally and directly enacted.
The appeal of such figures lies not only in offering their followers the vicarious thrill of witnessing acts of public cruelty but also in granting ideological and rhetorical validation for their own potential sadism. The logic implies that any man could embody a rapist; thus, providing a means for men to relieve their own feelings of inadequacy by exerting control over at least one individual perceived as weaker. In this context, Tate’s model of commercialized sexual exploitation may serve as a striking parallel to Trump’s governance style: both seem to endorse force and domination as valid ends in themselves.
The Trump administration has seen its ranks filled with individuals accused of rape and sexual misconduct. In addition to Trump himself, figures such as defense secretary Pete Hegseth and health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are included; Trump’s initial choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, faced allegations in a House ethics report of having “regularly” paid for sex, including interactions with minors. These instances aren’t seen as hindrances or embarrassments in Trump’s sphere; they are viewed as assets. Sexual violence may serve as a primary form of authoritarianism: for the Trump regime, it evidently represents a paradigmatic approach.
