Byron Donalds says Andrew Tate, brother not welcome in Florida

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said Andrew and Tristan Tate, two social media influencer brothers accused of operating a human trafficking ring in Romania, are not welcome in the state of Florida.

When CBS News Washington Correspondent Major Garrett asked if the two were welcome, Donalds said, "No, quite frankly not."

“Because if you listen to some of the dialogue, I find it to be demeaning and disgusting, it’s not about being an alpha male, it’s not about being a strong man, what they stand for in my view is something totally different,” the Florida representative said during a Tuesday appearance on the network. 

Earlier in the segment, Donalds said he supported the state attorney general's decision to launch an investigation into the brothers who abruptly arrived in the state last week. 

“I think those allegations have to be fully investigated, and then we go from -- we go from there. The key thing is, we don't tolerate the trafficking of women, or frankly, the abuse of women. We do not tolerate that,” Donalds told Garrett.

“So, if the attorney general finds cause under Florida law to investigate that, then I wish him the best, and I support whatever he's going to do on that matter."

The brothers have denied all claims of wrongdoing. Andrew Tate said the investigation spurred by the state's attorney general was "absolute communism."

“Absolute communism. I’ve been in America for 5 days. I sat on my laptop and did a podcast. Insanity,” the older Tate brother wrote Tuesday in a post on the social platform X. “I am super disappointed in the United States.”