Andrew Tate cannot hide fury as Florida ‘welcome’ brings yet more legal trouble | Andrew Tate

It was a welcome to Florida that Andrew Tate was not anticipating, far much less the nice and cozy embrace he believed he was entitled to.

The controversial influencer, an accused rapist and human trafficker, walked straight right into a state legal investigation after descending the steps of the non-public plane that flew him and his brother Tristan from Romania final month, inducing a match of apoplexy in Tate that seems to be nonetheless raging two weeks on.

Since their arrival within the US, the Tates have crisscrossed the nation searching for consideration elsewhere, popping up in Las Vegas on the weekend at a combined martial arts competition the place they had been hugged by a close friend of Donald Trump, and in Los Angeles on Monday, the place they preened in the front row of a press convention for the boxer Ryan Garcia.

However their troubles in Florida have by no means left their thoughts. Tate’s X account has featured a close to fixed stream of conspiracy theories and vitriol directed at these he blames for his state of affairs, together with Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, and lawyer basic, James Uthmeier.

DeSantis has stated the brothers’ model of poisonous masculinity was “not welcome” in his state, whereas Uthmeier, who has known as their alleged habits “atrocious”, warned the Tates that “fleeing our jurisdiction will not stop Florida’s ongoing criminal investigation”.

In a submit on X, Uthmeier wrote: “We will continue working with our law enforcement and partners around the world to fight human trafficking and sexual abuse”.

Joseph McBride, the Tates’ lawyer, advised the Guardian in a press release that the Florida investigation was “a weak attempt by a lame-duck governor to hold on to power and an unknown attorney general aiming to build his reputation”, and that Uthmeier’s feedback had been “malicious and defamatory”.

Each Tates, who’re twin US-UK residents, proceed to disclaim allegations towards them in Romania, which embrace human trafficking, rape of a minor and forming a legal gang to sexually exploit girls. Journey restrictions following their 2022 arrest had been lifted final month amid speculation of a “secret deal” between prosecutors and the Trump administration.

The US president’s son, Donald Trump Jr, has beforehand known as their detention in Romania “absolute insanity”, whereas Trump himself denied any information of their launch.

The Monetary Occasions reported last month, nevertheless, that McBride had lobbied members of Congress to talk up for them; and that the US particular envoy Richard Grenell, a Trump acolyte, raised the case with Romania’s overseas minister, Emil Hurezeanu, on the Munich Safety Convention in February.

Requested concerning the president’s affect as he arrived for a podcast recording in Fort Lauderdale final week, Andrew replied: “Trump is such a boss, he is such a gangster. As for Ron [DeSantis], I’m disappointed.”

On Monday, in the meantime, Andrew Tate posted to his 10.8 million followers on X that he was heading again to Florida from California on Tuesday. He challenged authorities to arrest him upon his arrival.

“Every day you don’t arrest me proves you’re clowns talking lies for political points,” he wrote. “Come and get me if I’m guilty and charge me in a court of law.”

The Guardian contacted the Florida lawyer basic’s workplace for an replace on the investigation, which Uthmeier stated on 5 March concerned search warrants, subpoenas and the seizure of the Tates’ electronics upon their arrival.

Apart from popping up for a few podcast appearances, the Tates have stored a comparatively low profile since touchdown in Florida on 27 February and being whisked away by a big safety crew.

Journalists have been unable to determine the place in south Florida they’ve been staying, or with whom. Their social media feeds have offered a myriad of contradictions, alongside a sequence of wild attacks on DeSantis, Uthmeier and reposting unfounded claims a couple of “south Florida Jewish mob” the 38-year-old former kickboxer believes is out to get him.

For instance, in a submit on 6 March Andrew Tate “thanked” Florida for welcoming him and promised he would “see you in a few years”; later the identical day, he introduced he had modified his thoughts and had “bought a Miami penthouse”; and 4 days after that, he was floating a plan to journey to Jamaica and “hang out” with a little-known fellow “influencer” known as Biggs Don.

In between, he introduced he was in California and tweeted on the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, to file expenses towards him.

Andrew Tate, who has turn into more and more aligned with Trump in recent times, and his 36-year-old brother, are required to return to Romania to reply bail circumstances earlier than the top of this month, which McBride stated they might do. After that, Tate stated, he plans to turn into a permanent resident of Florida.

But the depth of his fury for what he perceives as persecution by state officers turned evident in a podcast he recorded final week with the rightwing host Candace Owens, who like Tate has been beforehand suspended from social media platforms for extremist content material.

“I could have chosen anywhere. I could have gone [to] Thailand, I could have gone [to] Dubai,” he stated.

“I thought, ‘You know what, let me go home’. And this is the welcome I get.”