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The White House will allow Andrew Tate and his brother to be extradited to Britain, despite pressure from figures in Donald Trump’s inner circle.
The US president will not step in to block the brothers’ return to the UK after they were arrested in Miami on new sex abuse charges, The Telegraph can reveal.
Andrew Tate is also facing charges relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.
The social media influencer and his younger sibling, Tristan Tate, were detained by US police on Saturday at the request of British detectives, who are seeking their extradition to face trial over allegations of rape and human trafficking.
Their arrest prompted calls from prominent Republicans and some administration figures for Mr Trump to intervene, amid claims that the brothers were victims of a politically motivated witch-hunt similar to those the president said he had faced.
But a US official told The Telegraph that the White House would not become involved in the case, which is expected to drag on for months, saying: “The White House has no involvement and no feelings on the issue.”
The lack of intervention will be a blow for the Tates, who reportedly contacted people in Mr Trump’s orbit and leveraged their relationship with administration figures to build a campaign supporting their alleged innocence.
The brothers have long hinted that they have friends in high places.
When the pair were first arrested in Florida last year following a period of house arrest in Romania, Andrew Tate suggested in leaked texts that the Trump administration had helped him and his brother to flee the country.
Mr Trump was asked about the claim at the time, saying that he knew “nothing about it”.
Andrew Tate first claimed to be close to the Trump family and in contact with Mr Trump’s son Barron in July 2024, following an assassination attempt on the president.
He publicly reiterated the claim when he returned to the United States from Romania in March last year, telling reporters: “I’m very close with the Trump family. I know them well.”
Among the Tates’ other allies is Alina Habba, Mr Trump’s former personal lawyer, who was forced to quit as New Jersey’s top prosecutor in December. She told Andrew Tate on a podcast last January: “I got your back over here.”
JD Vance, the vice-president, also follows both brothers on X.
Before their arrest last week, the brothers spent several days in Washington DC, hosted by a Trump envoy, and were seen in the halls of Capitol Hill and enjoying one of the city’s most exclusive private members’ clubs.
Paolo Zampolli, the former modelling scout who introduced the president to Melania, invited the Tates to a summer party on July 15. Sources close to Mr Zampolli said he was largely unaware of the brothers and did not know the exact purpose of their trip.
“He spoke to [Andrew] for about 15 minutes in two days,” said the source.
The night before, the Italian-American businessman accompanied the pair to the Ned, an exclusive private members’ club near the White House, which is often frequented by high-level politicians.
The Tates’ arrest has prompted anger among large portions of the president’s base, who have become frustrated at the lack of prosecutions of Mr Trump’s enemies and those associated with the Epstein files.
Another US official close to discussions about the case told The Telegraph that the White House had been blindsided by the US department of justice’s decision to follow through with the British arrest warrant.
“The attitude is that we have not arrested Democrats that stole the election, or people associated with Epstein, but we are going to hand over American citizens to the UK,” the official said.
“Rubio didn’t know about it, Trump didn’t know about it, and Todd Blanche did not know about it. We have watched Trump get hit with phoney indictments – our attitude is if you have the proof, show us.”
The brothers appeared in a Florida court on Monday, wearing orange prison jumpsuits with their hands shackled. They were told they would remain behind bars until a judge considered the request.
After their initial arrest last year, the brothers hired Joseph McBride, a lawyer who had defended Trump supporters accused of insurrection on Jan 6. On Monday, he said of the case: “It’s garbage – it’s a stitch-up job.”
Andrew Tate was already facing 10 charges, including three of rape, four of actual bodily harm, two of human trafficking and one count of controlling prostitution for gain. His younger brother was previously facing 11 charges, including three counts of rape, six counts of actual bodily harm and two counts of human trafficking.
On Saturday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced a raft of new charges. Andrew Tate was charged with seven further counts of rape, as well as charges relating to sex trafficking and indecent images of a child.
Tristan Tate was further charged with two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. It brings the total number of charges levelled against the brothers to 59.
Both brothers deny any wrongdoing.
