Andrew and Tristan Tate, two major “manosphere” influencers, were recently arrested in Miami and now face charges of rape and sex trafficking in Britain. The White House now says Donald Trump will not intervene in their extradition, a turnaround for two top MAGA figures who are close to Trump’s inner circle and helped him win young men in 2024. Worse, many MAGA figures are following Trump and deserting the Tates. Still, MAGA is cracking over this: Tucker Carlson and several other figures are expressing sharp skepticism of the charges, treating the Tates as martyrs and raging at the charges as “politically driven.” As Guardian columnist Moira Donegan and I conclude in this episode, their dissent is significant: It’s clearly speaking to a sizable chunk of MAGA that actively lionizes the violent misogyny that the Tates represent. We discuss the deeper causes of MAGA’s divisions over the Tates, why the MAGA vision of masculinity is imploding, how Democrats got spooked by 2024 into overreading Trump’s successes with young men, and how they can speak to this constituency more effectively. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
Trumpworld Shivs Hyper-Masculine Guru Andrew Tate as MAGA Cracks Up
As MAGA splits over the legal travails of influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, the writer of a piece on the Tates explains why MAGA’s vision of masculinity is imploding—and what it means for our politics.
Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan in Bucharest on March 22, 2025.
