Trump must denounce Andrew Tate

While America was distracted by the anti-climactic release of a partial Epstein List, a bizarre scandal unfolded in Florida. Notorious misogynists and webcam pornographers, Andrew and Tristan Tate, had been released by Romanian officials and were enroute to the Sunshine State. This provoked a strong response from Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier, who immediately opened an investigation into the brothers.

“These guys have themselves publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, and preying upon women around the world,” Uthmeier said. “Many of these victims are coming forward, some of them minors. People can spin or defend however they want, but in Florida, this type of behavior is viewed as atrocious. We’re not going to accept it.”

With at least one alleged victim in Florida, the Tate brothers operate an international pornographic webcam business. They also offer training courses teaching other men how to pimp young women and girls. Graduates of their “Hustler” program receive a PhD, or “Pimpin’ Hoes Degree.” Despite the outrage provoked by the Tates' arrival in Florida, key officials in the Trump administration have expressed their support of the womanizers.

In early February, Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell met with Romanian officials at the Munich Security Conference.  Rumors swirled that Grenell pressured Romania to lift travel bans on the Tate brothers, despite them being under investigation for rape, human trafficking, and fraud. Grenell downplayed the rumors, but confirmed, “I support the Tate brothers as evident by my publicly available tweets.”

Grenell is referring to a February 3, 2025 X post in which he implies that the Tates are victims of a liberal smear campaign, saying, “The USAID programs were weaponized against people and politicians who weren’t woke. The Biden team spent US taxpayer money to support left wing programs and candidates around the world. Conservatives around the world were targeted. Romania is the latest example.” Underneath, he shared a post in which Tristan Tate was tagged.

While Grenell is right to advocate for victims of lawfare, expressing support for misogynistic pornographers accused of rape is a massive misstep. Explicit videos circulate on social media of Andrew Tate allegedly beating a nearly-naked 15-year-old girl. There are also numerous video interviews in which Tate describes preying on young women, breaking a woman’s jaw, and beating his cam girls into submission. Tate even boasts of being a human trafficker. 

“TBH I’m a pretty good argument against immigration,” Andrew Tate posted on X. “I moved to Romania and although I put it on the map I spent 99% of my time breaking the speed limit, having children out of wedlock and human trafficking. They really should deport me.”

Another post reads, “Hate me all you want. Women are all sex workers. Men are disposable cannon fodder or work horse slaves. If you’re a good work horse and become the boss you get to have a lot of sex workers.”

In response to white supremacist, Nick Fuentes, Tate joked about being biracial, saying, “I turn on my black side and hit women.”

For his part, Tristan Tate is slightly less self-incriminating. The younger brother makes a show of contributing to philanthropic causes and publicly claims to think human trafficking is wrong. However, he also makes bizarre statements like, “Having sex without the intention of procreating is gay sex,” and, “A man can be happy next to any beautiful woman, so long as he does not love her.” Tristan is also accused of rape, human trafficking, and soliciting underage girls via text message.

Despite the Tate brothers’ misogynistic views and apparent confessions to criminal behavior, attorney and counselor to the President, Alina Habba, has expressed her ardent support of Tate. In a podcast with Tate on the Benny Johnson Show, Habba effused, “I’m a big fan. Big fan! I have your back out here in the States. Keep fighting. I admire you. I admire what you’re doing.”

Habba later interviewed with Piers Morgan, floating the theory that perhaps the Tates were falsely accused of human trafficking because they have large social media followings. 

“Here’s the situation, Piers,” said Habba in a rambling statement. “You can say that someone has issues. People have issues. What I appreciate is people who fight a fight. I appreciate all walks of life. I do not condone trafficking, rape, or some of the comments Andrew Tate has made … But listen, he is a social media presence. There are a lot of people that watch him … If you look at the claims made against President Trump, which were completely nonsense (and I don’t know about the Tate brother’s cases, that’s not my concern) … If anyone wants to deny the fact that they have a very strong social media presence, then feel free to attack me. I don’t really care.”

Tate’s former lawyer, Paul Ingrassia, who is now White House Liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, has enthusiastically supported Tate over the years. In a 2023 post, he stated, “Andrew Tate is an extraordinary human being — not only in terms of sheer physical prowess, though he is that in spades, but perhaps even more impressively, he is sharp as a tack and has the willpower and spirit to match. He is the embodiment of the ancient ideal of excellence: to seek perfection of mind, body, and spirit.”

The starry-eyed support of these notorious pimps by people in Trump’s inner circle is particularly shocking when one considers Trump’s campaign promise to combat sexual abuse and human trafficking. Coupled with previous allegations of sexual abuse against Trump himself, the words of Habba, Grenell, and Ingrassia fuel a disturbing liberal narrative that Trump is an abuser who supports abusers.

New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote, “The meaning of what looks like an astonishing American intervention on behalf of accused sex traffickers is clear enough. An implicit promise of the most recent Trump campaign was to restore patriarchy. Not the softer, pious kind of patriarchy once promoted by evangelicals like Mike Pence but unfettered male domination.”

While Republicans may rightly find these columnists’ words offensive, Tate himself fuels the narrative. As a longtime supporter of Trump, Tate told reporters in Florida, “I’m very close with the Trump family. I know them well. I spoke to Barron after the incident [in Butler]. I look forward to once I'm free being with Donald Trump in person and reminding him that he’s a bulletproof badass.”

But not everyone is buying the narrative that Trump is protecting Tate. 

“I think this is something the Tate brothers would claim,” said Chris Loesch. “I don’t think the Trump admin would be trying to help self-professed pedophiles and sexual abusers. More likely the Trump admin wants to see these guys go to jail.”

Zac Kaizen, a conservative father of three, hopes Trump will denounce Tate and debunk the claim that he’s a Trump family friend. 

“At the very least it’s bad optics,” Kaizen said. “The Tates are political kryptonite which threatens to undo all the good things this administration has done so far if they are not exorcized from these political circles quickly.”

But Tate’s persona as a pompous womanizer isn’t the only issue on which he’s at odds with the President. Regarding a deceased Hamas terrorist leader, Tate wrote, “I can only pray for a death as heroic as Yahya Sinwar. Brave, defiant in the face of evil and dedicated to his life’s purpose. He deserves eternal rest. He earnt it.”

The question is not whether Andrew and Tristan Tate are good men. The question is, will President Trump fulfill his campaign promises to protect women and children, or will his administration continue to show support for antisemitic pornographers and self-described human traffickers who are under investigation in three countries?