The Tangled Tale of the Tate Brothers and the Trumps

From The New York Times, I'm Michael. Barbaro. This is The Daily. Over the past decade, >> [music]. >> the Tate brothers have built a global. empire around pornography, hyper-masculinity, and overt misogyny. Even as they were repeatedly [music]. accused of assaulting and trafficking. women. Today, a Times [music] investigation has found.

that as their troubles mounted, the. Tates found powerful allies in the Trump. [music] family and the Trump. administration. My colleague, Megan Twohey, [music]. explains just how important those. alliances became. and why they're [music] now starting to. unravel. >> [music]. >> It's Monday, August 3rd.

Megan, welcome back to The Daily. >> Happy to be here. >> So, about 2 weeks ago, there was this. pretty remarkable scene that played out. in Miami, Florida, involving the Tate. brothers, who you have been reporting on. now for many months. Just describe that. scene to us. >> So, on July 18th, Andrew and Tristan.

Tate, who are these like massively. famous figures around the world with a. huge online following in the manosphere, they arrive at this bare-knuckle boxing. match that Andrew is actually scheduled. to co-host. >> Which is very manosphere. >> Which is like adjacent. Yes, exactly. And you know, this is like classic. Tates. Andrew is dressed in a. tight-fitting purple shirt with the. buttons open and these chains around his.

neck. Tristan is in this three-piece. suit and hat, but as soon as they get. out of their car, US Marshals show up. And the brothers are handcuffed and. arrested in front of their entourage. And well, you could tell that the. brothers were really surprised. And so. were we. >> And why? Why were they surprised? Why.

especially were you surprised? >> Well, US Marshals are part of the US. Justice Department. This was a federal. action, which means that it was done. with the sign-off of the Trump. administration. And that's surprising because, you know, the Tates have actually had legal. troubles in multiple countries prior to. this. They've also had some really. powerful defenders here in the United. States. That's what my reporting.

partner, Isabella Kwai, and I have been. actually digging into over the past like. year and a half. How the Tates developed. deep connections to the Trump White. House, the Trump family, and other. players in the conservative MAGA world. So, this very public arrest that's. carried out by the Trump administration. really seems like a significant turning. point for the Tates. >> Right. You and Isabella have become true.

experts on the Tates, their rise, their. immense influence, all their legal. troubles, and the role that the Trump. administration ends up playing in all of. that. So, Megan, tell us the story of how it came. to be that the Tates formed a kind of. alliance with Trump world, and how we. get to this point where the president. and those around him may be turning. their backs on the Tates, which I think. means telling the larger story of the. Tates themselves,

which I know at times involves some. graphic and painful details. >> It does. Yeah. So, the story of the Tates, I would say. is primarily the story of Andrew Tate, who has been the much more prominent. figure of the two, although they've. worked hand-in-hand for years. And. listen, >> they have enjoyed telling the story of. who they are, where they came from, and. how they came to have this huge success.

>> Okay, so yeah, I am half English, half. American. My father was in the Air. Force. He was based in the UK. He met my. mother. They were fortunate enough to. have this perfect child you see in front. of you. >> So, they are born in the United States. to an English mother and an American. father. >> I guess I was raised in a hyper I call. it hyper-traditional. The modern world. will call it misogynistic household. My. father was in charge. It was his household. >> The parents had a troubled marriage, and. eventually they split up, and the Tate.

brothers relocated to England with their. mother. >> We had no money, and I grew up in Luton, which is the worst town in England, in. an area called Marsh Farm, which is the. worst area. >> And as they tell it, we're living in. public housing, and really kind of. struggling to get by. And once they've. reached their teenage years, Andrew Tate. goes into kickboxing. >> So, I want something where there's no. luck. It's just me, brutal war. >> This is where he gets his first taste of.

fame. >> I became four-time kickboxing world. champion. >> He goes pro, wins championships, but he's not making a lot of money. >> So, I said to Tristan, we need to work. out a way we can get rich. >> And he and his brother kind of sit down, and. >> I was watching some YouTube videos like. financial advice, and we're talking. about assets, liabilities, etc. And I'm. writing down all my assets and I'm. trying to work out what I have that's. worth money. >> Andrew says like in this moment I kind. of looked around my life and decided. that I needed to work with what I had.

>> The only thing I had was because I'd. been fighting all around the world I had. these six girlfriends. >> And what I had were girlfriends. >> I messaged my six girlfriends and told. them they're all coming to live with me. and I had a job for them in London. Two of them wouldn't come, four of them. agreed. >> And he wants to seize on that and make. money from it. >> I said listen, I've been with you all. I'm starting a webcam business. I'm. going to get rich. Some of you is going. to come with me to the top of the. mountain or if you're pissed off you can. fly home. >> And they convinced them to start making. sexual content. >> Two of them left, two of them agreed to.

stay. and they went on cam to start making. money. >> And perform live on webcams for paying. customers. >> Two girls made money, bought a bigger. apartment, three girls, four girls, five. girls, bang, bang, bang, bang. Before. you know what I had a empire of. women. >> And as they had hoped this porn business. turns out to be. much more lucrative than kickboxing. >> At the peak I was turning over 400 grand. a month. >> In the years since we've learned what.

their strategies were for bringing women. into their business. They would identify women that they. wanted to recruit, actively romance. them. Once they had them in. relationships, seek to exert control. over them. And then steer them into. making this content and making it in a. way in which the brothers made most of. the profit. And Andrew has described. himself as a pimp. >> People always say pimp as if it's a. negative thing, but I think a pimp is a. very positive thing. I hope we get to.

>> And it's not long after they start this. business that women are going to the. police and complaining about them. >> And what were those complaints? >> So Tristan was arrested in 2014. for an alleged assault of a woman and. Andrew was arrested the next year, actually three times. One woman who had. worked for him said that he had. strangled her during sex. Another [snorts] said that he had raped, beaten, and pulled a gun on her.

And a third woman said that he had raped. and strangled her while they were. dating. Neither brother was charged at. the time, but Andrew has said the attention from. law enforcement led them to leave the UK. and move to Romania. >> And why Romania? >> As they tell it, they saw Romania as. being a place that they could get away. with more stuff. >> Mhm. >> And listen, like Romania has been known. for its corruption, for having a pretty.

weak criminal justice system, and it's also notably been a major hub. of sex trafficking. >> Well, what does their life look like. after they arrive in Romania? >> Well, they expand their webcam business. They are overseeing women who are. working for them there in Romania. They're still operating out of the UK. They're making more and more money, and. they are also continuing to get into.

trouble. >> Such as? >> Well, in 2016, Andrew actually gets cast. to participate in the British version of. Big Brother, the reality TV show. >> Mhm. >> But pretty quickly a video tape surfaces. that shows him in a bedroom beating a. young woman with a belt. >> Wow. >> And he actually gets kicked off the. show. But he defends himself. >> I know something came out in the paper, whatever, but things come out in the. paper about everybody. >> And he and the woman involved say it was.

totally consensual. >> And nothing that came out in the paper. of is anyway, and it was. refuted by anyone involved, so that's. I just think. >> And he really just doubles down on his. bad boy image. And [music] the result is that this. scandal ends up in the headlines. everywhere, and more people pay attention to him, and his public [music] presence just. grows. >> Mhm. >> And another thing that happens around. this time is the 2016 [music]. presidential election.

After Donald Trump is elected, [music]. Andrew also decides to lean into Trump. and the MAGA movement. >> How so? >> He's talking about how much he admires. [music] Trump. >> He's grabbing by the I. like that guy. >> He's tweeting his support for him. [music]. >> Trump is a guy who says what he means. and means what he says. >> And one of his tweets of support catches. the attention of Donald Trump Jr. >> I was running my mouth, and I was. defending [music] Trump. Junior just liked one of my tweets.

>> And they end up in communication. >> I followed him, he followed me back, he. had the end of it said, "You guys are. literally the heroes of the West. I. would absolutely love a picture.". >> And Don Jr. actually invites [music] him. to New York, to Trump Tower. >> I was like, "All right, I'll book the. first class ticket." Bang, I was there. Guy is cool. Donald Trump's son, he made. me a coffee. Like, he's a cool dude. We. talked for about 3 or 4 hours. We. [music] still inbox each other every. couple days, and stuff. So, yeah, that. was crazy. Just off Twitter, just. defending Trump. Crazy.

>> [music]. >> So, this is the first real link between. the Tates and the Trumps. >> For now, yes. And in the following years, the Tate. brothers get even more rich, more. visible, more influential. They start selling these online courses. >> So, if you've joined this course to. learn how to run a business and get. rich, congratulations, your world view.

is about to change forever. >> Teaching men how to make money. >> Lesson five, command respect. If you. want to run a business, the one of the. best things you can do is go to the gym. >> How to be manly. >> Command a physical presence. It shows. discipline. It shows that you understand. hard work. >> And they have courses actually teaching. men how to build porn businesses of. their own just like the Tates did. >> You're effectively taking girls, teaching them how to make unlimited. money from home, and then making sure.

they give it all to you. >> And Andrew outlines in just. extraordinary detail his instructions. for how to exploit women. >> You cannot do a purely professional. business relationship with a female. They have to be in love with you, which. means you have to have sex with them. >> And in his online content and in the. interviews he starts to do. >> When men try and act in a masculine way, they're toxically masculine. They. demonize us. >> Andrew is really presenting this.

worldview and spreading these messages. about how men have been sidelined. >> We are the backbone of every economy. They want us to be worker ants. They. want us to be semi-depressed, paying. taxes as tax slaves in a sexless. marriage with kids who don't respect us. >> He also preaches about the need to. dominate women. >> Females are barely sentient. Females don't have independent thought. They're just empty vessels waiting for. someone else to install the program.

Ching ching. >> He at times openly talks about violence. against women. >> Choke her so she can barely. breathe till her shoes are forever. She. can't say They're going to believe it. You can program them. They are. programmable beings. >> And promotes this intensely misogynistic. worldview. >> You can't slander me cuz I will state. right now that I am absolutely sexist. and I'm absolutely a misogynist. So I'll. say what I want because I'm a realist, and And you're a realist, you're sexist. >> Megan, when I think of the manosphere, I. don't think about messages that are this.

violent. And so, am I right to think of. this as being on the extreme edge of the. manosphere? >> Yes, it's absolutely on the extreme end. of the spectrum of the manosphere. And, you know, it's actually like at the same. time complicated because there are these. moments where the Tates are downplaying. the more violent and demeaning comments. as just bravado. >> Mhm. >> And they're also mixed in with these. messages of male empowerment. You know,

go to the gym, start your own business, be strong, drive a cool car. >> Have a purpose-driven life. >> Yeah, and this is the moment when the Me. Too movement has taken off, and they're. telling boys and young men that they. need to rise up, and that feminism has. gone too far. And. >> to interrupt because Megan, you're. pretty central to the growth of the Me. Too movement through your journalism. here at The Times along with our. colleague Jodi Kantor and a large cast.

of others. When The Times broke the story of. powerful men like Harvey Weinstein and. the sexual abuse that they committed, it. unleashes this wave of accusations. against many men, becomes a movement. unto itself, and it sounds like you're. saying that the Tate brothers seize on. that, and they come to embody the. backlash against it. >> Oh, absolutely. You know, I think that. while Me Too proved to be this. empowering moment for a lot of girls and.

women, there also came to be this sense that it. was disempowering for boys and men. And there's this growing feeling among. certain male demographics that boys are. being ignored, that they're being. treated unfairly, that they're being. blamed for being themselves. >> Right. And in that sense, the Tate's. timing was crucial. >> Yeah, and the Tates are sort of swooping. in and being like, "You're right.

Everything that you're feeling is right. We're going to kind of show you the way. out, and we're going to help restore. masculinity. We're going to help restore. confidence. We're going to restore the. power of men.". >> Mhm. >> And you have eventually like millions of. boys and young men who gravitate to the. Tates. It's hard to overstate just how big. these guys are getting. And in 2022, Andrew Tate is one of the most Googled.

names on the internet. >> Mhm. >> And then, in December of that year, at the height. of their fame and influence, their home in Romania gets raided. >> The Matrix has attacked me. >> And it is the beginning of the. authorities in Romania launching this. huge criminal investigation against. them, in which they're eventually accused of.

trafficking multiple women into their. porn operation, human trafficking. Andrew's accused of raping one of those. women and of having sex with [music] and. beating a 15-year-old. They're both. accused of basically forming a criminal. enterprise. >> Mhm. >> Now, I should add that the Tates. strongly deny all the criminal. allegations against them. >> Understood. [music] So, at this point, the legal troubles that had started for. the Tates in England [music]. were now finding them in Romania, this.

place where they thought that they would. be safe from those kinds of. investigations. >> Yes, and while those initial police. complaints that they had faced in. [music] 2014-2015, those hadn't been made public. This. Romanian investigation is a very public. [music] affair. And the Romanian authorities are. actually prohibiting them from leaving. the country while they follow through. with their investigation. [music].

But once again, the Tates. do what [music] they've done so well, which is to seize on this moment and. [music] use it to their benefit. And. in the following months, you see them. pursuing [music] even more alliances. and eventually finding real support. [music]. from none other than the Trump White. House. >> [music].

>> We'll be right back. So Megan, how exactly do the Tates use. this Romanian investigation to forge. even stronger alliances in. >> President Trump's orbit? >> So one of the first strategic moves that. they make is to hire as an attorney. Joseph McBride, a lawyer here in the. United States who actually came to. prominence and into the MAGA world by.

representing people accused of. insurrection on January 6th. >> So they hire a lawyer very much in the. Trump mold. >> Yes, and McBride turns around and. pitches his new client to Tucker Carlson. who has in this moment recently left Fox. News and is working to start his own. show. And so McBride goes to him and. says, "Listen, you should come to. Romania and interview Andrew Tate. You. guys will break the internet.". >> Hey, it's Tucker Carlson. Imagine being.

a sixth-grade boy in the United States. right now. >> And that's exactly what Tucker does. >> What are they telling you on the. internet? Well, they're telling you to. stop being yourself. Sit still, suppress. your aggression, obey. >> And this is a really important turning. point. >> So, it's probably not surprising that. Andrew Tate was the most Googled man in. the world last year. He offers a. different vision. >> Tucker Carlson sits down, speaks with. Andrew for more than 2 hours, and it's a.

very warm, sympathetic interview. >> What is it about your message do you. think that infuriates certain people? >> Well, my message is traditional. masculinity. My message is to stand up. and say what you mean and mean what you. say, and even. >> They spend much of the 2 hours. discussing what they consider to be like. a left-wing war on masculinity and their. other shared conservative beliefs. And. when discussing the criminal case in. Romania, they misrepresent the. allegations.

>> But you're not actually accused of rape, >> Correct. >> selling anyone, >> Correct. >> pimping, >> Correct. >> Okay. >> With Carlson saying, "You haven't been. accused of rape. You haven't been. accused of any violent crime." When in. fact, he had. >> But you can't send a guy to jail cuz you. disagree with him. >> You shouldn't. >> And this interview is a sensation. I. think it is ultimately been viewed more. than 110 million times. >> That really is breaking the internet. I. mean, that's an astonishing audience. >> It is, and other people notice.

>> All right, let's just jump right into. this. Andrew Tate. >> within a matter of weeks, Candace Owens, who is also this conservative media. figure who's working to build her. audience, she travels over to Romania. >> I see conservatives assigning like real. meaning to you saying stuff that is just. so obviously content for young boys. So, the way. >> to also do a sympathetic interview with. Andrew. >> This is how guys have fun in the same. way that girls sit around and talk about. Real Housewives. >> Yeah, absolutely. It's bravado.

>> Even Charlie Kirk comes out and says. that. >> Andrew is a very smart man, and I'm not. going to get into all the accusations. against him. I don't know the truth, and. we'll find out. But I will say this, what he says is so powerful. >> He doesn't approve the Tate's porn. business, but. >> What Andrew Tate is doing is he's. communicating a warning of what happens. when society becomes too feminine. >> He understands why their messaging is. resonating with so many people. >> Hm. >> Now, if I offend you with this, good, cuz honestly, it's the truth, and you. need you need to hear it. So.

>> [cheering]. >> So all of a sudden these big voices on. the American right, who at the time are. allies of promoters of President Trump, they're finding common cause with the. Tates, and they're seemingly identifying. with their central message. >> Yeah, I mean, listen, these figures have. their own audience and their own. supporters, but I think that what's. happening in this moment is that they're. realizing that the Tates have a huge. audience of their own, and that if they.

can sort of interface with them, whether. that's interviews or talking positively. about them publicly, that they can tap. into that audience and bring it into. their fold. And that includes Donald Trump. In 2024, he is running for re-election. and trying to reach audiences of young. men. And remember, Donald Trump Jr. is. already a fan of the Tates. In fact, he's publicly defending them against the. Romanian criminal investigation. And now.

Trump's youngest son, Barron, is also a. fan. >> Hm. >> Barron is very much tapped into the many. voices in the manosphere, and he's. encouraging his dad to connect with. them. You know, go on their shows, talk. to Joe Rogan, Adin Ross. He knows this. landscape. He knows these guys. >> He is that young man. >> He is that young man, and in 2024, he. actually hosted a dinner in which he. brought together some of these online.

influencers, including one of the Tate's. best friends, uh guy named Justin. Waller. He is widely seen as being like. the third Tate brother. >> Mhm. >> They become friendly, and we learn that. Baron has a Zoom call with Andrew Tate. Waller told me that on the call, they. talked not just about the presidential. election, but also about the Romanian. criminal case and how they both thought. it was unjustified.

>> So, at this point, you've got two of the. president's sons in communication with. Andrew Tate. >> Correct. And in 2024, as they had been, the Tates. are extremely supportive of Trump, and. they are telling their massive. following, "Vote for this guy.". >> Right. And as we know, young men in. particular end up being a very potent. constituency for Trump. His ability to. connect with the manosphere really works. to his benefit. And when Trump is.

reelected in 2024, I remember reading this, Kamala Harris. goes so far as to say that she missed. the boat with the manosphere, and she. even cites the support of people like. Tate for Trump as helping to defeat her. >> Yes. And after Trump is reelected, Andrew Tate isn't shy about his beliefs. that it's going to have a real benefit. for him in his criminal case. He posts on X that the patriarchy is. back,

and the Tates will be free. Trump is the. president. >> Wow, he really makes that linkage. >> Yeah, that's what he's saying publicly. And we found that privately, he was also. expressing a belief that the Trump. administration was helping him. In a. January text to somebody close to him. that we reviewed, he wrote, "I had word. from the Trump admin that they're on top. of things. I've been told I'll be free. soon. >> And after all of your investigating,

what do you come to understand Andrew. Tate means when he says that the Trump. administration is on top of things? What. What does that mean in this context? >> Well, listen, I can't be sure exactly. who he's referring to in this text, but. there were multiple people in the. administration who were openly. supporting and defending of the Tates. In the White House, Paul Ingracia, who. served as liaison to the Justice. Department, and Alina Habba, who was. serving as legal counsel to the.

president at the time, they both. publicly backed the Tates. >> Wow. >> And then there was Richard Grenell, who. is a special diplomatic envoy to the. president, and we learned that behind. the scenes, he discussed the Tates'. criminal case with at least two Romanian. officials. >> Mhm. >> One of them was a top advisor to the. Romanian Prime Minister. Grenell met him. at Mar-a-Lago.

The other was the Romanian Foreign. Minister. Grenell spoke with him at this. security conference in Germany. And what we learned was that just weeks. after that second conversation, this extraordinary order comes down from. the highest levels of the Romanian. government to the Romanian prosecutors. who had been investigating the Tates. saying, "You need to reach a compromise. with these guys." And they eventually. agreed to lift the travel ban that they.

had used to keep the brothers in the. country. And according to our sources, the Romanian Prime Minister believed. that this would please the Trump. administration. >> I just want to say how absolutely. striking it is to me that one of the. most senior officials in the Trump. administration, Rick Grenell, speaks to. two of the most senior officials in the. Romanian government about of all things. in the early days of this second Trump. administration, the Tate brothers. And. within a few weeks, the Tates'.

circumstances change dramatically. They. suddenly get to leave Romania. >> [music]. >> Correct me if I'm wrong, it feels like. the Trump administration's. role in getting them to that point seems. pretty crucial. >> It is. Now, a spokesman said the White. House was not involved in the Tates'. case. Still, our reporting found that. support from the Trump administration. [music] played a crucial role in the. Tates' release. >> Feel that? It's the feeling of leaving Romanian.

soil. We're off [music] the ground. >> And as soon as the travel bans are. lifted, they get on a plane and fly to. Florida. [music]. >> All we do is win in the end. All we do. is win. >> And you know, not surprisingly, they. make a video of themselves. >> [music]. >> on this plane gleefully celebrating. leaving Romania. >> And what happens once the Tates land in. the US? What is the. reception? >> Their return to the United States.

actually turns out to be. a bit more complicated than they likely. expected. >> Hm, meaning what? >> They arrive in Florida and Governor Ron. DeSantis immediately speaks out against. them, says, "You're not welcome here.". The Florida Attorney General launches an. investigation and that. >> Republicans we should say. >> Two Republicans and other conservatives. are speaking out like Ben Shapiro and. Megan Kelly who are saying, "It's a huge. mistake to embrace these guys." You.

know, you can really see that there's. not uniform support for them here on the. American right. And in fact, while. they're in the United States, Andrew. picks up another allegation of assault. >> Which is what? >> So, one of Andrew's girlfriends at the. time, Brianna Stern, went to police and. reported that he had sexually assaulted. her and choked her when they were in. Beverly Hills. >> This incident happened on March 10th and.

after that I was in a concussed state. for the next couple of days when I was. >> She does some interviews with the press. >> I was scared to death. I was terrified. that. I might die. >> And also shares her account on social. media. And she includes text messages. >> In one text, Tate allegedly writing, "You backtalk too much, so I beat you.". Where he says things like. >> "I really love hitting you. It's good.

for me.". >> I mean, that's a pretty direct line it. would seem between the Trump. administration's. alleged intervention on the Tate. brothers' behalf, which allows them to. leave Romania and come to the United. States, and an act of alleged abuse in. Beverly Hills that occurs as. a result, right? >> Yes, that's the allegation. I mean, I. you know, her police complaint didn't. result in a criminal charge, but the two. of them are now in a legal battle in.

civil court. >> Hm. >> And Brianna Stern at this point is one. of several women who have started to. publicly speak out about their. experiences with Andrew Tate over the. years. >> We were having sex and he strangled me. until I passed out. And then when I came back around, he was. still having sex with me while I'd been. passed out. >> Others, including women from the UK who. interacted with Tate over a decade ago, have also talked to the press. >> Andrew would call us lazy hoes.

I saw him. smack girls with a belt. He used to. He used to strangle us as well. >> And there is a clear pattern in what. these women describe of strangulation, of rape, of beating. And the new criminal charges against the. Tates don't include names of the women, but they describe exactly this type of.

behavior. >> So, what exactly are these new charges. and why are they coming. right now? >> Prosecutors in Britain have issued 38. charges against the brothers including. rape and sex trafficking for alleged. incidents that occurred between 2010 and. 2017. And Andrew has also been charged with. extreme pornography and indecent images.

of children. And these are actually the second round. of criminal charges that the British. prosecutors have brought against them. And so, it's clear that their. investigation of the brothers has been. expanding and that not only are they. issuing new charges, but they also made. an extradition request to the United. States government that allowed for the. brothers to be arrested here. And that's. what those US Marshals were doing in.

Miami. The Tates are now in jail while a. federal judge considers the extradition. request. And. you know, once again, the brothers deny. all of this as they have. all criminal allegations against them. >> Well, given everything you have told us. about what happened after the raid in. Romania with the Trump administration. coming to the Tate brothers defense and. discussing the Tates with Romanian.

officials, you might think that the. Trump universe would once again. be activated and come to the Tate. brothers' defense. Is that happening? >> It is not. What we found is that with. the kind of escalation of these charges, with the extradition request being. followed through by the administration, with the Tates now behind bars, many of. their one-time powerful allies are. distancing themselves. >> Mhm, like who? >> So, those administration officials that.

I mentioned, they now deny having any. ongoing connection to the Tates or. aren't commenting. There's been no word from the. president's sons, Barron or Don Jr. Some of the media figures who defended. them are declining to comment. And on Thursday. >> Thanks, Caroline. Um, is President. Trump's the administration, uh, do they. have any plans to intervene in the. extradition process of the Tate. brothers?

>> When asked whether President Trump. intended to intervene in the case in any. way. >> No. We've already answered that. question. Elizabeth. >> Thank you, Caroline. >> His press secretary said, "No.". >> Right, and not much more than that. >> And not much more than that. Just simply. no. >> So, the president's orbit is very. clearly turning. on the Tates. Why do you think that is now? >> Well, the Tates are facing more serious. charges than ever before. And with the extradition request, the.

Trump administration has been forced to. participate. >> Mhm. >> It's had to take an official stand. If. the administration said no, that would. be a very brazen, very public act. I. mean, it's extremely rare for the US to. reject an extradition request from the. UK. >> Right, a close ally. >> And just more broadly, the benefit of. associating with the Tates has gone down. and the risks have gone up.

>> Mhm. >> I think that President Trump and others. have actually come to realize through. Jeffrey Epstein. just how politically damaging an. association. with even an alleged trafficker can be. >> Right. I mean, I would argue that the. Epstein story has been the dominant. scandal of the president's second term, and the parallels to the Tates are. obvious. And it's hard to imagine the. administration wanting to do that all. over again. >> Yeah, I think that's exactly right, Michael.

>> And to that point, I have to wonder if. the reporting that you and Isabella did. that demonstrated. what seems to be meaningful efforts by. those around the president to help the. Tates last time. would be a strong discouragement for. them pursuing that strategy once again. >> I think our exposing the. role that the support from the Trump. administration had played in the Tates. being freed from Romania. has shown that there's going to be. ongoing scrutiny of this, that people.

are watching. >> I'm curious given the wide range of. investigations you've been involved in. when it comes to men accused of sexual. abuse. and the varying levels of accountability. that those men have faced. where the Tates. fit in and stack up. >> Well, listen, after reporting on so many. of these figures over the past decade I. can say that the Tates really stand out,

not just because of the really serious. criminal allegations against them, but. how they've managed to use them to their. benefit. You know, they've made these. allies in high places, they've used the. notoriety to build their fame, to push. their brand, and spread what many people. would see is a deeply misogynistic. message to men around the world. >> Right. What's very clearly unique about. the Tate brothers is not just the.

allegations against them as horrific as. some of those are, but the reality that. they have evangelized. and proselytized. a entire mindset. that demeans and disrespects women. >> Right. >> [music]. >> And I've watched as they've pushed the. limits to the back clash to me, too. >> [music]. >> And I've wondered, like, how far will. they take it?

>> Mhm. >> How far will this go? >> [music]. >> And I think in this moment with these. new charges, with the extradition, [music]. with some of their powerful allies. backing away, >> [music]. >> we may have finally found that limit. >> Meghan, [music]. thank you very much. >> Thank you, Michael.

>> [music]. >> We'll be right back. Here's what else you need to know today. The saga of the botched renovation of. the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. [music] took a dramatic turn over the. weekend. After originally blaming. left-wing vandals for [music] damaging.

the pool's new lining, federal prosecutors led by US Attorney. Jeanine Pirro reversed course, withdrawing [music]. charges against an accused vandal, and. instead blamed contractors hired by the. Trump administration for shoddy. workmanship. That reversal infuriated. [music] President Trump, who blasted. Pirro's office in a social media post, writing, quote, "I disagree with Jeanine. Pirro 100%." [music]. And. President Trump said he canceled a.

series of major air strikes against Iran. over the weekend because progress had. been reached on a peace [music] deal. that would include the immediate. reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. But. Trump offered no specific [music]. details and it's unclear if his claim of. a diplomatic breakthrough is true. >> [music]. [music]. >> Today's episode was produced by Caitlin. O'Keefe and Stella Tan with help from.

Nina Feldman and Alex Stern. It was edited by Michael Benoît and. [music] Patricia Willens with help from. Brendan Klinkenberg. It contains research help from Susan Lee. and [music] music by Marion Lozano, Dan. Powell, and Pat McCusker. Our theme music is by Wonderly. [music]. This episode was engineered by Alyssa. Moxley. >> [music].

>> That's it for The Daily. I'm Michael. Barbaro. See you tomorrow. [music].