After years of publicly backing President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, Andrew and Tristan Tate are hoping for some support in return as they sit behind bars.
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The controversial manosphere influencers are currently fighting extradition to the U.K. after being arrested in Miami on July 18, 2026. British authorities are seeking the brothers on charges including rape, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, and sexual assault, all of which they deny. These recent charges are the latest chapter in what's been a years-long legal battle for the Tate brothers.
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They were first arrested in Romania in 2022 on allegations including human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized criminal group, which they also denied. Over the next several years, they went from detention to house arrest before being placed under judicial supervision with travel restrictions, which were eventually lifted last year, allowing them to leave Romania and travel to the US.
Given their history of MAGA support, the Tate brothers' longtime attorney, Joseph McBride, seems to think that President Donald Trump owes his clients a favor in return. In an interview with Vanity Fair, McBride argued that "Andrew Tate was a material participant in ensuring President Trump's victory," referring to the influencer's repeated endorsements of Trump during the 2024 election.
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"If Trump doesn't support him," McBride continued, "and if the next people who are going to be running for office potentially are just like, 'Yeah, down the river he goes,' that young cohort of people will break with the Republican Party in the next election."
He doubled down in a later Instagram post, writing that New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "will be the next President without the manosphere and Andrew Tate."
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So far, though, those arguments don't appear to be moving the needle with the Trump administration. While President Trump hasn't publicly commented, both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt have said the administration will not intervene in the Tate brothers' extradition case.
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Needless to say, the administration's response — or lack thereof — has quickly become a talking point online.
"Donald Trump not supporting Andrew Tate after Tate brothers did all that grifting is so funny," wrote one person on X.
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Others thought McBride was dramatically overstating the Tates' political influence. As one person on Reddit put it: "That is so fucking funny that the Tate brothers think they're some political lynchpin for the American right wing. I know plenty of republican leaning voters who hate those guys."
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Many people weren't surprised by this apparent shift in loyalties, though. They argued that, with the election behind him, Trump has little to gain from publicly defending Andrew Tate.
"If you're not of immediate use to [Trump], your past does not matter," one Redditor echoed.
"Trump has no allies. He will always turn on you as soon as it's no longer in his interest. Why do no right-wingers ever understand this?" another added.
So, yeah...it seems Andrew and Tristan Tate are in for a majorrrr reality check. Thoughts??