President Donald Trump’s youngest son is reportedly a fan of a woman-hating influencer accused of rape and human trafficking.
Barron Trump, 19, admired divisive manosphere figure Andrew Tate, 39, and spoke with him last year, their mutual friend Justin Waller told The New York Times. Waller, a close ally of Andrew and his brother Tristan, identified himself as their “third brother” on top of playing a “big brother” to Barron.
Barron spoke to Andrew Tate over Zoom last year while getting a suit fitted by Waller’s tailor, according to the outlet. They discussed their shared belief that Romanian prosecutors charging the Tate brothers with a number of sex and trafficking crimes was an effort to silence them.
The Tates were accused by the Romanian authorities of trafficking more than 30 women and creating a criminal group for sexual exploitation. Andrew was separately charged with rape. The brothers also face criminal charges of rape and trafficking in the U.K. They have denied all the charges against them.
Waller noted that Barron never said anything about helping the Tates with their legal battles. The two also talked about supporting Trump’s campaign on their online platforms.
Soon after Trump returned to Washington, a number of Tate supporters found themselves seated within the new administration. The Times found that one of them, Ric Grenell, discussed the Tate case with Romanian officials on two occasions, and the brothers later found themselves free of a travel ban.
Grenell, who Trump appointed interim President of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., has previously downplayed his interactions with a Romanian official as a hallway run-in, adding that “no substantive conversation” took place. He also told The Times: “I have never met the Tate Brothers, I’ve never been to Romania.” Grenell did not comment on reporting that he met an adviser to the Romanian prime minister in Mar-a-Lago last December.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the Tates’ lawyer, Joseph McBride, for comment. The attorney told The Times that its findings about Andrew and Barron were “fake news.”
Barron has been widely credited with helping his father, 79, gain street cred with young men. Trump’s youngest child reportedly suggested that his dad speak with influencers and podcasters in the manosphere, including Joe Rogan.
After a young man tried to assassinate Trump in the summer of 2024, Andrew Tate told reporters that he spoke to Barron about the shooting.
“I’m very close with the Trump family. I know them well,” he said at the time. “I look forward to, once I am free, being with Donald Trump in person and reminding him that he’s a bulletproof badass.”
