Full Breakdown
Pro-China Funding Fuels Coordinated Anti-U.S. Protests Ahead of Trump-Xi Talks
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
During the week surrounding President Donald Trump’s high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a network of activist groups linked to tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham staged a series of demonstrations in Austin, Texas, and New York City. The protests targeted U.S. immigration enforcement, climate policy, artificial-intelligence data centers, and Israel, and were presented publicly as independent grassroots actions.
Background & Context
Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, a co-founder of the CodePink nonprofit, led demonstrations outside the United Nations during Climate Week and later outside OpenAI’s Manhattan offices, accusing the company’s data centers of “driving war” and “economic degradation.” Earlier in the week, socialist organizations in Austin mobilized an anti-ICE rally after the shooting of Venezuelan national Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, using existing national activist infrastructure.
Official Statements & Responses
Rep. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chair of the House Select Committee on China, described the groups as “Astroturf, very fake,” and urged clarification of their finances, questioning whether they should retain tax-exempt status. The Justice Department’s Southern District of New York has convened a federal grand jury to examine possible wire fraud, bank fraud, or money-laundering involving Singham’s donor-advised fund and shell companies.
Data & Statistics
Fox News Digital’s investigation traced $285 million funneled through Singham’s donor-advised fund to six major nonprofits, media outlets, and activist organizations. Specific allocations include $1.33 million to CodePink, $22.44 million to the People’s Forum—a hub for the week’s protests—and $1.098 million to BreakThrough News, a media arm that disseminated protest footage.
Why It Matters
Lawmakers argue that the coordinated visibility of these protests could shape public perception of instability and provide a messaging advantage to foreign adversaries as the United States prepares for direct talks with China. The ongoing grand-jury probe underscores heightened scrutiny of foreign-linked funding streams influencing U.S. political discourse.
