Independent journalist Nate Friedman told Newsmax on Tuesday that the pro-Maduro protests that erupted almost immediately in New York City after the arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro were neither spontaneous nor organic.
Instead, Friedman reported, they were organized, funded, and driven by far-left socialist groups.
Friedman, appearing on "National Report," backed up President Donald Trump's assertion from earlier Tuesday that pro-Maduro demonstrators were paid activists, pointing to coordinated messaging, pre-printed signage, and the involvement of well-known socialist organizations.
"The president is bang on about pro-Maduro protesters being paid," Friedman told Newsmax.
According to Friedman, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) played a central role in organizing the demonstrations, along with other left-wing groups such as the Progress Unity Fund and the ANSWER Coalition.
"The PSL is funding this," Friedman said. "They're putting out these signs because it's not about Venezuela — it's about instituting socialism throughout this country."
Friedman said his reporting began on the ground, where he directly confronted protest leaders about the funding behind the demonstrations. He claimed their responses were telling.
"I confronted them and said, you were paid $20 million to pay protesters. Do you deny it? No denial," Friedman said. "I confronted them about the protesters they had on their payroll — again, no denial."
One of the most striking findings from Friedman's investigation involved the protest signage itself. While demonstrators claimed to be reacting to Maduro's arrest, Friedman said the signs told a different story.
"These signs were printed months ago," he explained, noting they were produced around the time early U.S. actions targeted Maduro-linked narco-terror drug boats. "They were printed ahead of time, and they all have socialism written on them from the PSL."
Friedman said the pre-made signs and rapid mobilization point to a broader ideological agenda rather than genuine concern for Venezuela.
"It's about socialism," he said.
Friedman has published his findings on his YouTube channel, where he says viewers can see documentation tracing the funding networks and organizational links behind the protests.
His reporting comes amid heightened scrutiny of left-wing activist groups following clashes between pro-Maduro demonstrators and Venezuelan and Cuban expatriates celebrating Maduro's arrest outside a Manhattan courthouse earlier this week.
As Trump and other critics argue, Friedman's investigation adds fuel to claims that the protests were staged — not grassroots — and part of a larger push by radical groups seeking to advance socialism in the United States under the guise of foreign policy activism.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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