A Slovak social media influencer has drawn criticism after travelling to Brussels aboard a government aircraft at the invitation of the country’s environment minister.
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Oskar Barami, who has built a large following with political interviews, shared footage of himself boarding the Slovak government’s special flight alongside Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba. The video, posted on Instagram, shows the pair approaching each other on the tarmac, shaking hands in front of the jet – a format Barami frequently uses when launching interviews with politicians, reports Closer, The Slovak Spectator’s partner lifestyle and youth website.
Just days earlier, Barami had posted a similarly styled video with the interior minister, Matúš Šutaj Eštok. He told followers that the Brussels trip was not funded for his benefit and that taxpayers had not incurred any additional costs.
“We just joined the minister on his flight. This wasn’t arranged for my video,” Barami wrote in comments under the footage. “No one paid me anything. Nobody can buy me.”
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Barami also stressed that the idea to record an interview “in the clouds” had been his own and compared it to exclusive content made with Donald Trump aboard Air Force One. He insisted he had never received money, favours, or offers from politicians in exchange for coverage.
The influencer flew with Taraba on 18 September, returning to Bratislava the same evening. “No hotels paid by the state,” he said.
The Environment Ministry confirmed Barami had been invited to document Taraba’s official trip to a meeting of EU environment ministers. It said his presence on board incurred no additional costs and no remuneration was provided. The ministry added that the collaboration aimed to increase the reach of the minister’s activities among younger audiences.
Taraba used the Brussels meeting to reject stricter emissions targets under the EU’s Green Deal.
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Barami has increasingly turned to political content in recent months, publishing interviews with senior government and opposition figures including Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová and Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Šimečka. In one of his most high-profile episodes, Kaliňák revealed photographs of prime minister Robert Fico’s blood-stained shirt taken shortly after the assassination attempt against him. Šimkovičová, meanwhile, presented Barami with a gift bag during her appearance.
His critics, however, argue he fails to challenge politicians and instead offers them an uncritical platform.
The influencer brushed off such concerns, telling Closer magazine: “I’m not one of the most relevant creators in Slovakia because I do standard things. You have to give the audience something they haven’t seen before.”
