Donald Trump has told many stories and denied many others about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. But those questions center on Epstein’s actions and crimes, which Trump says he denounces and wasn’t a part of. The White House has moved heaven, earth, the truth and much else to protect Trump from what the Epstein files might tell us about him. But there is a larger question about what Trump makes of Epstein’s values. Does he reject them, or does he endorse and embrace them? Looking to his administration’s ties to Andrew Tate may be instructive.

According to Heidi Blake’s thorough investigation of Tate in the New Yorker earlier this month, the Trump administration intervened last year to buffer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan from the consequences of their criminal charges in Romania. The Tate and Trump circles, she also reports, have overlapped at Mar-a-Lago.

She’s not the only one digging into the connections. A December New York Times report by Megan Twohey and Isabella Kwai quotes a text message by Tate, reviewed by the outlet, from January 2025: “I had word from The Trump admin that theyre on top of things. Ive been told ill be free soon but Trump needs to see me in Miami.” Two Trump sons, Don Jr and Barron, have reportedly cultivated friendships with Andrew, though the White House told the Times that it was not involved in the Tates’ legal matters, and the Tates’ lawyer said the outlet’s findings about Andrew and Barron were “fake news”.

It’s pointless to debate who’s worse, Epstein or Tate. Their monstrous misogyny echoes their respective eras. Epstein seemed a........

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