Andrew Tate, the self-described misogynist who is facing trafficking and rape charges in Romania, is travelling to the US after his travel ban was lifted.
This came after US officials allegedly raised the case with Romanian officials - but why would Donald Trump’s White House support him?
What are the Tate brothers accused of?
The Tate brothers were arrested in Romania three years ago and had been banned from leaving Romania.
They had been held in the country as they face numerous charges including rape as well as charges of forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women. They had denied the charges, with an earlier house arrest order being lifted last year.
After these legal proceedings are complete, the brothers are set to be extradited to the UK, where they face additional allegations of rape and human trafficking that they also deny.
Why are the pair travelling to the US?
Andrew Tate and his brother have left Romania on a private jet and are heading to the United States, according to reports.
Romanian prosecutors approved the request of the influencer to travel outside Romania pending criminal investigation on Thursday.
It appears a travel ban on the pair - who have dual UK/US nationalities - has been lifted.
It comes after US officials, including Trump’s special envoy Richard Grennell, reportedly spoke with the Romanian government to urge the authorities to lift the pair’s travel ban and return their passport.
Mr Grenell has claimed he had had “no substantive conversation” with Romania’s foreign minister but added: “I support the Tate brothers as evident by my publicly available tweets.”
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What are Andrew Tate’s links to Trump’s White House?
Andrew Tate has reportedly been friendly with Donald Trump Jr, the president’s son, since at least 2016 - even visiting Trump Tower.
The pair have been in touch since Mr Trump Jr started following Tate on X, then Twitter. Tate previously told a podcast interview: “I joined because I liked Trump. He’s grabbing bitches by the pussy. I like that guy. I was like ah f*** it he talks like a man.”
See also: From reality TV star to court - the complete timeline of Andrew Tate
He added: “And then Mr Trump Jr just liked one of my tweets, and I followed him, he followed me back, I DM’d him and said: ‘You guys are literally the heroes of the West. I live in western Europe where it’s finished. You guys are literally the last hope we got. I would absolutely love a picture.’”
In addition, one of Tate's lawyers, Paul Ingrassia, was recently sworn in as a White House liaison for the Department of Justice.
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Why would Trump want to back Tate?
Tate is a key figure in the online chauvinist ‘manosphere’, with analysts saying his popularity with young male followers could be behind the White House’s apparent backing.
Tate worked as a TV producer while training as a kickboxer, before transitioning to a professional fighting career.
His appearance on Big Brother in 2016 marked the start of his public notoriety as a self-described misogynist.
Since then, he has gained infamy for making offensive and misogynistic comments on social media, leading to widespread criticism and a controversial presence on TikTok, scoring millions of views.
Senior officials at the White House could be betting that supporting Tate will prove popular with his following of young men - a key group who helped re-elect Donald Trump in November.