On March 3, U.S. conservative media host Carl Higbie of Newsmax presented a viewpoint on his program: the recent wave of protests across the U.S. against the Trump administration’s military actions may not have arisen spontaneously, but could have been driven behind the scenes by organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He suggested that a connection exists between a series of geopolitical moves—from Iran and Venezuela to the Panama Canal and the Strait of Hormuz—and the near-simultaneous emergence of domestic protests in the United States.
Some U.S. media reports and congressional investigation materials have noted ties between certain left-wing organizations and Chinese funding, bringing the discussion of “CCP using U.S.-based groups to influence public opinion” back into focus.
‘Highly synchronized’ protests — host questions organizational coordination
According to Newsmax on March 3, Higbie pointed out that within hours of U.S. military action against Iran, protests quickly erupted in multiple cities across the country, showing highly consistent patterns in their forms.
Footage he presented on the program showed many demonstrators holding identical signs, with almost identical fonts, colors, and layouts. At some protest sites, bundles of signs were distributed to the crowd.
Higbie noted that these signs were not only present in anti-Iran protests but also bore strong resemblance to earlier protests against U.S. policy on Venezuela and previous “anti-ICE enforcement” protests in places like Minnesota. He argued that this high standardization of protest materials indicates possible coordination by the same organizational network.
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On the program, Higbie singled out the New York-based nonprofit “The People’s Forum,” founded in 2017, known in the U.S. for advocating against sanctions, wars, and supporting left-wing social movements.
According to materials from the U.S. House of Representatives’ fundraising committee, the organization admitted to receiving over $20 million in funding, with one major donor being Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman long based in Shanghai.
Multiple media reports have noted that Singham has conducted extensive business in China and cooperated with official CCP institutions. In 2023, the Associated Press reported that an international network funded by Singham provided financing to multiple radical organizations worldwide, some of which openly expressed pro-Beijing positions.
Additionally, Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, is the founder of the U.S. anti-war organization Code Pink. The group has recently shifted its stance on China-related issues, generating controversy in U.S. political circles.
Energy and geopolitics: US actions against Iran and Venezuela impact Chinese interests
Higbie further linked these protests to global energy dynamics, arguing that the Trump administration’s recent military and economic actions against Iran and Venezuela directly affected China’s energy supply chains.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, China is the world’s largest crude oil importer and has long relied on supplies from the Middle East and parts of Latin America. In recent years, China purchased substantial amounts of oil from Iran and Venezuela.
Several U.S. strategic analysts noted that Beijing has heavily invested in energy development in Iran and Venezuela. The Washington-based Democracy Defense Foundation analyzed that Chinese companies, through mechanisms like oil-for-loans programs, have established close energy cooperation with both countries.
Against this backdrop, U.S. military or sanction actions against these nations objectively affect China’s energy supply and investment interests.
In recent years, U.S. political circles have increasingly focused on the risks of foreign governments influencing domestic politics through nonprofits, think tanks, and activist groups.
In 2024, several congressional committees held hearings on “Chinese influence operations.” Some lawmakers argued that Beijing is using funding, media, and social networks to shape U.S. public opinion in ways favorable to China.
Analysts have noted that, unlike the direct propaganda of the Cold War, modern influence operations often work through third-party institutions or nonprofits, making funding sources and political objectives more concealed.
However, some scholars caution that evidence of direct foreign government control over certain protests remains disputed. The U.S. has a strong tradition of grassroots activism, and many protests are indeed spontaneously organized by domestic social movements.
Strategic game escalates: Trump administration confronts CCP global influence
Higbie emphasized at the end of the program that the strategic core of the Trump administration—through strikes against Iran, pressure on Venezuela, promoting U.S. enterprise in overseas energy development, and contesting control of the Panama Canal—is to contain CCP expansion within the global resource and trade system.
By targeting CCP key energy and shipping interests, the Trump administration not only blocked Beijing’s channels for obtaining oil from Iran and Venezuela but also imposed political and economic costs on U.S.-based organizations acting as CCP proxies. As congressional investigations and media reports indicate, some nonprofits received CCP funding to try to influence U.S. policy and public opinion—but under Trump’s strategy, these interventions failed to sway outcomes.
Higbie concluded that these actions clearly show the CCP’s attempts to manipulate U.S. domestic opinion through covert channels to protect its overseas interests. However, the Trump administration, using a combination of hardline diplomacy, military deterrence, and economic measures, is cutting off the CCP’s global energy supply chains, restricting its geopolitical maneuvering, and sending a clear signal to the world: any CCP proxies attempting to interfere in the U.S. or on the global stage will face consequences.
