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The honeymoon in MAGA world may be coming to an end, as two major events are dividing some of President Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters. The return to the U.S. of indicted “manosphere” personalities, the brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, and the administration’s bumpy rollout of the so-called “Epstein Files” are causing fissures in the Republican officials and influencers.
The Tate brothers touched down in Florida on Thursday, bringing with them a wave of controversy. The pair arrived on a flight from Romania, where they both currently facing charges that include human trafficking, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering. Both have denied any wrongdoing, and said they plan to return to Romania in March to meet with prosecutors to discuss the investigation, which is still proceeding.
Andrew, 38, is a former professional kickboxer turned internet personality with more than 10 million followers on X. He’s a self-described misogynist who’s been called the “king of toxic masculinity,” boasting an audience of mostly young men. Tristan, 36, is also a former kickboxer and entrepreneur. Both men are dual U.S.-British citizens.
While the exact circumstances behind Romania’s lifting of the travel ban it had imposed on the brothers are unclear, their arrival follows reporting from the Financial Times that the Trump administration and the Romanian government discussed the Tates’ case during a phone call earlier this month. Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, reportedly also followed up on the case when he met the Romanian foreign minister at the Munich Security Conference, three people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.
“America does not need more self-proclaimed pimps and terror supporters with outstanding criminal allegations of sex trafficking,” Shapiro wrote.
When asked about the matter, Trump told reporters he wasn’t aware of the circumstances behind the brothers' release: “I just know nothing about it. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know.”
In a surprising turn, several prominent conservative voices joined with Democrats in criticizing the Tates’ arrival to the U.S. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters he was not informed in advance that the Tates would touch down in his state and said, “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct.” He also said Florida’s attorney general was “looking into what state hooks and jurisdictions we have to deal with this.”
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called out other conservatives for “glorifying” the elder Tate. “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,” he added.
Conservative online figures also spoke out, including Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy and right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro. “What’s the point of booting out illegals and criminals while somehow becoming a safe haven for the Tate brothers?” Portnoy asked on X.
“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,” Shapiro wrote in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped release of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, dubbed by some “The Epstein Files,” has also led to a wave of anger and disappointment from several prominent conservative voices.
Critics were not only dissatisfied with the way the documents were initially released, that is, to several conservative influencers who were invited to the White House and given early access to the information; they were also unhappy with the documents themselves, much of the contents of which had already made its way into the public domain.
Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and loyal Trump ally, criticized the release for having been done in an “unprofessional manner with paid, partisan social media influencers.”
“I hate to say it, but the American people can’t trust the validity of the Epstein files released today,” Loomer wrote on X. She also called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign.
Portnoy also waded into the Epstein documents controversy: “Why is the release of the Epstein list always a s--- show?”
Even elected Republicans publicly criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the matter. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida called the rollout a “complete disappointment” and demanded the Trump administration “GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!”