Andrew and Tristan Tate have portrayed themselves as having a close connection to Barron Trump, while hoping that support from the president could help shield them from extradition to Britain, where they face rape and sex trafficking allegations.
However, one MAGA-connected source told the Daily Mail that the Tate brothers are mistaken if they believe the Trump family will step in to protect them.
The controversial influencer brothers were taken into custody by US Marshals over the weekend after UK authorities brought dozens of historical charges involving rape and sexual exploitation. Both men have denied wrongdoing in relation to all accusations against them.
According to newly unsealed federal court documents, the alleged victims say they were restrained, violently assaulted and put in choke holds until they lost consciousness.
Their attorney, Joseph McBride, has argued that President Donald Trump views the Tates — polarizing online figures known for misogynistic rhetoric and followed by millions — as targets of “political persecution and communism.”
But a source close to Trump said the White House would be highly unlikely to involve itself in a case tied to alleged sex trafficking, particularly amid the continuing political fallout surrounding the Epstein files.
“It’s delusional. I don’t think that there’s any support for them at all. The Epstein thing just makes it even more objectionable,” the Daily Mail insider said.
“I don’t see the Trump Justice Department doing anything other than what they have always done, which is to acquiesce in a request for extradition to the UK.”
Andrew Tate (pictured being handcuffed) and his brother were arrested in Miami by US Marshals over the weekend after British authorities hit them with dozens of historic rape and sexual exploitation charges; he denies wrongdoing
Tate pal Justin Waller and Barron, pictured at Mar-a-Lago in 2024, are said to have struck up such a close rapport that Waller became a ‘big brother’ figure to the President’s 6ft 9in son
Waller (left) is so close to Andrew (middle) and Tristan Tate (right) that he describes himself as their ‘third brother’
The Tates were arrested in Miami after the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service announced dozens of new allegations, bringing the case against them to 59 charges involving seven alleged victims.
Kickboxer-turned ‘manosphere’ guru Andrew, 39, faces seven additional counts of rape, as well as charges related to sex trafficking and indecent images of a child.
According to the unsealed documents, one alleged victim was ‘afraid he would not stop and was going to kill her’ as she was allegedly pinned down and sexually assaulted.
Another woman was allegedly put in a chokehold until she lost consciousness.
Business partner Tristan, 37, faces two new rape charges and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
He is accused in court documents of choking and whipping a former partner with a belt, leaving her with bruises, welts and a black eye.
McBride has dismissed the allegations, which are said to have occurred between July 2010 and August 2017, as ‘slander and filth.’
He insisted the swaggering siblings had ‘done nothing wrong’ after a judge ordered their continued detention following a brief federal court hearing on Monday.
The Tate brothers style themselves as close confidantes of President Trump’s son Barron Trump. The first son is pictured with his dad and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final
Andrew and Tristan Tate, who were arrested in Miami on Monday, are said to be banking on presidential support to fend off extradition to the UK on rape and sex trafficking charges, the Daily Mail has learned
The siblings faced federal court on Monday where a judge ordered their continued detention
‘We went to see our Congress people in D.C. and now we’re getting arrested. This feels political,’ McBride protested.
The lawyer didn’t specify who met with the Tates but previous Daily Mail reporting revealed the brothers linked up with Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt and posed for a photo in his office.
They also attended a private party hosted by Paolo Zampolli in his personal not official capacity. Zampolli is Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships and the former modeling agency boss who introduced the president to his wife Melania.
The Tates, who are of dual British and American nationality, are vocal Trump supporters who have flaunted their supposed ties to the First Family, especially college student Barron, 20.
Justin Waller, an entrepreneur so close to the brothers that he describes himself as their ‘third brother,’ was among a cadre of MAGA loyalists who visited Mar-a-Lago in the spring of 2024 to dine with the then-teenager.
‘Barron walks, talks, moves and thinks in a way that resembles his father,’ Waller told the Daily Mail afterwards. ‘It is quite clear that he is not confused about what’s going on in the world, nor the rooms he finds himself in.’
The pair were said to have struck up such a close rapport that Waller became a ‘big brother’ figure to the president’s 6ft 9in son, dispensing dating advice and introducing him to the tailor who made the suit for his father’s second inauguration, according to Waller.
During the fitting, Barron spoke directly to Andrew Tate over Zoom, Waller told the New York Times.
The pair chatted again after the July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to Andrew Tate, who boasted to a British filmmaker: ‘I’m very close with the Trump family.’
That same summer Donald Trump Jr and Andrew Tate appeared together on a livestream to promote a MAGA meme coin.
‘You’ve got people attacking you as far as I’m concerned,’ Don Jr said. ‘They just want to silence you.’
An attorney for the Tate brothers claims they were arrested after going to DC to meet with lawmakers. Previous Daily Mail reporting revealed the brothers linked up with Republican Congressman Wesley Hunt (above) and posed for a photo in his office
But according to our insider, the Tate brothers have overestimated their influence, and any remaining support for them is dwindling fast.
MAGA stalwarts are said to have grown tired of their brash antics and are unnerved by the flurry of accusations surfacing in the UK.
‘They have always wanted to be in the Trump orbit. I’ve heard that they had some relationship with Don Jr but I think it’s extremely peripheral,’ the source said.
‘Barron may like them. He may like their online persona, their swagger and all of that. But I just don’t see him getting involved.
‘Some people initially were favorable toward them, then turned on them with a vengeance. That gives you some reading of where they are in Trump world, which is to say nowhere.
‘I don’t know who their constituency is other than young guys with too much testosterone.’
The Tates have amassed a global following of fans, particularly young men and boys captivated by their baller lifestyle and unabashed chauvinism.
But they now face the grim prospect of spending months locked up in a federal jail while they fight extradition.
Their lawyer Joseph McBride (pictured above outside court on Monday) has suggested that President Donald Trump sees the Tates as victims of ‘political persecution and communism.’
The brothers are also facing legal proceedings in Romania, where they have a home.
It’s understood the UK extradition request will take precedence and the pair will be flown to London to face trial if it succeeds.
The brothers deny all the charges they face worldwide.
They were first arrested in Romania in December 2022 after prosecutors accused them of running a criminal enterprise that lured women to the Eastern European country for sexual exploitation.
British prosecutors filed their own charges against the brothers in May 2025, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking.
The Tates flew from Romania to Florida in February 2025 after authorities lifted their travel ban, a reversal that followed reported pressure from Trump administration figures.
Trump told reporters, however, that he knew ‘nothing about it.’
ProPublica later reported that a White House official intervened to have federal agents return electronic devices seized from the brothers when they landed in Florida.
Andrew has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines.
His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness.
The Daily Mail has reached out for comment to the White House, Don Jr and Melania’s representatives regarding Barron.
