Why is MAGA fighting about accused rapist Andrew Tate's US return?
The MAGA world is deeply divided over accused sex traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate.
On Thursday, the far-right influencers landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a two-year travel ban was lifted related to trafficking and rape charges in Romania—and rumors are flying that Donald Trump’s administration pressured the Romanian government to lift travel restrictions on the siblings.
While the brothers have built their success on the back of a conservative and far-right following, the dual U.S.- U.K. citizens’ arrival on American soil has ruffled feathers on the right.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wasn’t thrilled over their arrival in the Sunshine State.
“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct in the air,” DeSantis said during a press conference. “I don’t know how it came to this. We were not involved, we were not notified. I found out through the media that this was something that was happening.”
Other MAGA supporters were also up in arms about the brothers being back on U.S. soil.
Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy wrote via X, “What’s the point of booting out illegals and criminals while somehow becoming a safe haven for the Tate brothers?”
Even right-winger Ben Shapiro took an oppositional stance.
“America does not need more self-proclaimed pimps and terror supporters with outstanding criminal allegations of sex trafficking and a history of pornographic distribution, plus a grift ‘university’ that suckers young men out of thousands of dollars,” he wrote on X.
And it’s a cold day in hell when MAGA supporters on X are seen arguing with conservative media pundit Shapiro.
“I usually agree with you, but you guys need to stop condemning Andrew Tate,” one user wrote beneath Shapiro’s post. “If he wasn't putting out content that resonates, young men wouldn't be listeining ot [sic] him.”
The Tate brothers’ release back into the U.S. doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. Donald Trump-appointed “special missions” envoy Richard Grenell was caught expressing his interest in “the fate of the Tate brothers” to a Romanian foreign minister just before the travel restrictions were lifted.
But Trump has decided to play dumb, denying any knowledge of who the Tate brothers are and telling reporters he would “catch up” on the story and get back to everyone on it.
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley reacted to Grenell’s supposed influence on Romania, telling HuffPost reporters in a statement posted to X, “I don’t think conservatives should be glorifying this guy at all … I certainly don’t think that we should be using any influence in our government to try to get him out of what seemed to be extremely serious charges in Romania.”
But the thing is, MAGA can’t seem to agree on whether or not an accused sex trafficker is good or bad.
Conservative pundit Candace Owens seems to believe the Tate brothers are victims.
Owens wrote via X that the “restrictions that were placed on the Tate brothers in Romania were always an act of intergovernmental corruption.”
“Do not follow or listen to people who support government corruption because they do not like a person’s character, beliefs, or past actions,” she added.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer also spoke out on their behalf, arguing, “It doesn’t matter if the Tate brothers behave like sexual degenerates (and they do) and as much as I don’t like their Islamic larping, they are US citizens.”
Andrew Tate—a self-proclaimed misogynist—made a name for himself by selling lessons to young men on how to make money and pick up chicks. But dig a little deeper and it’s clear the Tate brothers sold a lifestyle that sought to embolden men through dominating and subjugating women.
In a culture where men on the right have been complaining about feeling emasculated, Tate rose through the ranks like no other misogynist dirtbag. But charges were slapped on him and his brother in Romania for sex trafficking and rape. Andrew is accused of luring women to his home, pressuring them to rack up debt, and then having them perform sexual acts on video to sell online.
The brothers also faces charges of money laundering in Romania. In the U.K., the influencers are facing charges of sexual aggression.
Andrew also has faced multiple past accusations of rape dating back to 2015.
Oddly enough, the Tate brothers have captivated parts of the far right and MAGA community. The duo have been used as a main example of the growing concern over young men being lost to extremism thanks to social media algorithms.
It’s unclear if the two men will eventually return to Romania for a trial or be extradited to face charges in the U.K.—or if the MAGA movement will continue to fracture due to them.