Ron DeSantis has made it clear that controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan aren’t welcome in Florida after the duo reportedly touched down in the state on a private jet from Romania.
During a Thursday press conference, DeSantis mentioned he only learned about the brothers’ Florida plans when the news broke in the media.
“The federal government has jurisdiction whether they want to rebuff his entry into the United States,” he stated. “I do know that our Attorney General James Uthmeier is looking at what state hooks and jurisdiction we may have to be able to deal with this, but the reality is, no, Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct. I don’t know how it came to this, we were not involved [and] we were not notified.”
As The Independent reports, Tate and his brother landed in Florida on Thursday and gave a quick statement to reporters. He insisted he’s “innocent until proven guilty,” and said Romanian authorities have removed their travel restrictions.
The brothers face multiple serious charges in Romania, where they both reside. These include rape, sexual misconduct, human trafficking, and money laundering. According to the Financial Times, President Donald Trump’s administration pushed Romania to lift the travel ban.
Before their legal troubles, the Tates were widely condemned for their misogynistic content and got banned from various social platforms, including what was then called Twitter.
After Elon Musk took control of Twitter, now renamed X, the brothers had their accounts restored and have been posting frequently on the platform.
