UFC boss and Trump ally Dana White filmed hugging accused sex traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president and Donald Trump ally Dana White was seen at an event in Las Vegas on Friday warmly greeting Andrew and Tristan Tate, controversial right-wing influencers accused of human trafficking and other abuses across the U.S., the U.K., and Romania.
“Welcome to the States, boys,” White, who recently joined the board of tech giant Meta, tells the brothers as he hugs them, in a clip recorded from a Power Slap fighting series event in Las Vegas.
The brothers, known for their misogynistic views broadcast to millions of followers, are awaiting trial in Romania, wanted in the U.K., and under investigation in the state of Florida.
The encounter prompted criticisms of White, including from those on the right, which has often aligned with White.
“I’m done with @ufc,” conservative pundit John Cardillo 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.”
Others argued it wasn’t a surprise that White, who admitted in 2023 to hitting his wife, would associate with the Tates.
“Dana White slapped his wife on video so this is a real fork found in kitchen moment,” writer Kylie Cheung argued on X.
Others pointed to how unorthodox it was for White, as a board member at a major public company, to be associating with alleged sex criminals.
“alternate headline: facebook board member hangs out with alleged human traffickers,” reporter Mike Isaac wrote on X.
The Independent has contacted Meta and the UFCfor comment.
Late last month, the Tate brothers — who are dual U.S.-U.K. citizens — arrived in Florida from Romania, where they are accused of launching an organized criminal group and trafficking women across the country as well as Britain and the United States. They came under a cloud of allegations across the world, including accusations of rape, trafficking, and tax-dodging in the U.K., as well as allegedly recruiting a U.S. woman into sex work under false pretenses.
The brothers, who deny all wrongdoing in the cases against them, were able to leave Romania as they await a future trial in that country, after officials there lifted travel restrictions against them, reportedly following pressure from the Trump administration.
Romanian officials maintained they made the decision independently, but U.S. special envoy Richard Grenell reportedly requested the brothers be able to travel freely.
Trump has insisted he “knows nothing” about the pair, who champion him to their millions of male followers.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proclaimed the brothers weren’t welcome there, and the state’s attorney general later launched a criminal investigation into the brothers.
Grenell, the Trump administration’s presidential envoy for special missions, reposted an X post from Andrew Tate that accused the Florida governor of “attacking” him because he “was worried” that Tate would support Republican congressman Byron Donalds in the state’s race for governor.
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure to push for the Tates’ extradition. Romanian officials say any potential extradition would come after their case concludes.
