U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared caught off guard when a reporter said the Tate brothers’ lawyer had mentioned him by name.
The exchange came on July 22 while Rubio was speaking to reporters at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit in Manila, Philippines. Rubio, famous for his stoic demeanor, seemed uncomfortable when pressed on whether the Trump administration would help prevent the Tate brothers’ extradition to the U.K.
The moment stood out as the question cut directly to the Trump administration’s ties with the disgraced “manosphere” influencers.
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Andrew and Tristan Tate on July 18 in Miami, and they’re now facing an additional 38 charges brought by British authorities, including rape, human trafficking, and indecent images of a child. This brings their total U.K. charges to 59.
The brothers have denied wrongdoing, calling the extradition a “witch hunt.”
“One of the Tate brothers’ lawyers mentioned you by name,” the reporter told Rubio. “Do you plan to get involved in the extradition challenge?”
“Who?” he responded, looking confused. “Mentioned me by name?”
Rubio then began to answer the question, distancing the administration from the brothers, whose support of Trump dates back at least a decade.
Rumors of a friendship with Trump’s youngest son Barron have been swirling since 2024. And just days prior to their arrest, the brothers were at a party with Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships.
Rubio told the reporter, “I don’t know the details of this particular case. I’ve been overseas, but I know who you’re talking about. I just don’t know the details of it.”
He went on to say the White House had “no role” to play in blocking the extradition, adding, “I’m not going to opine on something that’s still working through a legal process.”
A clip of his reaction has been circulating online, and viewers are skeptical. Many refuse to take his words at face value.
As one put it on X: “hmmm, not so clear cut.” Another person was blunter: “Amazing how these people in government don’t know anything about what’s happening in the news. Liar.”
Someone else chimed in, “Code for he hasn’t gotten his orders from Trump yet.”
Some framed the exchange as calculated messaging rather than a genuine gap in knowledge. The X account for Retired Journalists Global Watch wrote: “Red meat so they can distract and deflect and say they don’t support rapists while ignoring the Epstein files.”
A separate reply took a more sarcastic tone: “Imagine this administration not going to bat for pedophiles. Weird.”
Still, some reactions left room for the administration to follow through on its stated position. “Hopefully they stick to their word and do not get involved,” one user wrote. “But with this admin you can never be sure.”
