A version of this piece first appeared in our news digest, The Front Page. Sign up today.
Yesterday, self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate appeared on right-wing commentator Patrick Bet-David’s podcast. It was the Eastern-bloc sex-cam impresario’s first media appearance since leaving Romania, where he and his brother Tristan are accused of human trafficking, among other crimes. Tate, a dual UK-U.S. citizen, longtime personal friend of Donald Trump Jr., and supporter of the president, wouldn’t confirm or deny multiple reports that say the Trump administration pressured Romanian authorities to lift the travel restrictions against Tate and his brother. He claims he “didn’t know” if the president had anything to do with his release.
What Tate does know, however, is that the reception toward him in the States has been icy—and not just on the left. A recent (and dubious) convert to Islam who once bragged about breaking a woman’s jaw, Tate nevertheless calls himself “one of conservatism’s strongest soldiers.” But not all conservatives seem to agree.