Accused Sex Traffickers Receive Warm Welcome From a Trump Ally
Dana White, the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a fight promoter. That means the old saw 'all publicity is good publicity' usually applies.
But with a simple greeting, the pugnacious ally of President Trump may have stretched the saying to its limit.
On the other side of a handshake and a hug from Mr. White at his Power Slap event in Las Vegas on Friday were Andrew and Tristan Tate, the controversial internet personalities who recently left Romania, which they had been barred from leaving while facing criminal charges, including human trafficking in continued form. The travel ban was lifted late last month.
In a widely shared video of his interaction with the Tates, Mr. White can be heard saying 'Welcome to the States, boys.'
The next night, the Tates were at another of Mr. White's events when they attended U.F.C. 313.
Mr. White has built a multibillion-dollar business safe for figures who say outrageous and sometimes odious things. A shrewd cultural figure, he has helped define a new, masculinist American mainstream where major brands, right-wing YouTubers and celebrities mix freely.
But by welcoming the Tate brothers — long seen as the misogynistic outer edge of the so-called manosphere and accused of crimes against women — Mr. White has thrown open the tent to such an extent that even some prominent internet commentators who vigorously support Mr. Trump expressed shock.
'I'm done with @ufc,' John Cardillo, a conservative influencer, wrote on X. 'If @danawhite can't draw a line and disassociate from trash who bragged on video about grooming and raping teen girls, it tells me all I need to know.'
The Misfit Patriot, an X account that supports Mr. Trump, posted a video of Mr. Tate discussing marrying and having sex with 16-year-olds and commented 'Hey .@danawhite, this is the guy whose hand you just shook last night.'
Representatives for the Tates and Mr. White did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Tate brothers, who maintain that they are innocent, are not out of legal jeopardy. Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, announced last week that his office had opened a 'preliminary inquiry' into the brothers, who have dual citizenship in the United States and Britain.
'Florida has zero tolerance for human trafficking and violence against women,' Mr. Uthmeier said. 'If any of these alleged crimes trigger Florida jurisdiction, we will hold them accountable.'
But this has not stopped the brothers, who have repeatedly mocked Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on social media, from seeking the spotlight. Since arriving in the United States, they have appeared on the popular Full Send podcast, hosted by Kyle Forgeard of the Nelk Boys, a close ally of Mr. White's; as well as on the Trump-supporting podcasts of Patrick Bet-David and Keith and Kevin Hodge.
These appearances, while generating a great deal of attention and support from fans of the Tates, have highlighted fissures within the conservative media ecosystem. Prominent figures like Megyn Kelly and Ben Shapiro have spoken out against the Tates, who have also drawn a great deal of criticism from religious groups and various other factions of the conservative world.
'The way conservatives and conservative organizations respond to Andrew Tate arriving on US soil will tell you everything you need to know about them,' Jeremy Boreing, the chief executive of the Daily Wire, wrote on X last month. 'Any organization or host who embraces him is engaged in far worse than simple grift, though it is that. Andrew Tate is the enemy of any traditional American conservatism.'
Mr. Trump won last November partly by adding young men to his coalition, a success many cultural observers credited Mr. White with helping to bring about. But Mr. White has had his own controversies — in 2023, he was filmed slapping his wife on vacation in Mexico, for which he said 'There are no excuses for it' — and the sensibility of the men's culture over which figures like him preside is profane, outrageous and lewd, putting it at odds with more traditional conservative groups.
Now, by greeting Mr. Tate — whose subscription War Room network offered a program teaching members how to groom women for sex work — Mr. White may have highlighted cracks within parts of the Trump coalition.
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