Intelligence documents from 2020, released by the White House on Thursday, reveal that Chinese officials planned to exploit racial tensions and social unrest in the United States during the presidential election year, according to reporting by The Federalist.
The intelligence summaries, which were reportedly not shared with then-President Donald Trump at the time, detail Chinese plans to “encourage violent demonstrations and looting to increase the appearance of social unrest” in the months leading up to the November election. The documents indicate that Chinese operatives aimed to “exploit U.S. societal fissures and vulnerabilities,” including by “alleging that White people hate Black people.”
According to The Federalist, one intelligence summary from what it described as a “sensitive government agency” outlined Chinese interests in “inciting demonstrations and marches as evidence of racial divides; increasing the level of conflict between police and anti-racism activists; and feeding any sense that U.S. law enforcement resents USG and people of color.”
Social Media and Mainstream Media Channels
The documents reportedly state that “China had developed capabilities to project themes on these topics into social media (Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others), as well as mainstream media through a variety of overt and hidden influencers and media contributors.”
The revelation raises questions about whether media outlets that extensively covered racial justice protests in 2020 were unwittingly amplifying foreign propaganda or, in some cases, knowingly advancing narratives aligned with Chinese interests.
The summer of 2020 saw widespread protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The demonstrations, organized under the Black Lives Matter movement, led to significant property damage in multiple cities and sparked intense national debates about race relations, policing, and social justice.
Earlier Warnings and Media Response
According to The Federalist, The Heritage Foundation raised concerns about potential Chinese influence in the protests in September 2020. Heritage noted that 95 percent of the riots were linked to BLM and pointed to evidence of Chinese activist groups providing funding. The think tank reportedly stated that “The U.S. government should connect the dots and investigate the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s support for the Black Lives Matter organization and the riots.”
One month later, as Election Day approached, Axios published an article with the headline “Right-wing media falsely ties Black Lives Matter movement to Beijing,” pushing back against such allegations.
The Federalist reported that Axios explicitly supported the 2020 protests, with CEO Jim VandeHei encouraging staff participation. In an email to employees, VandeHei reportedly wrote: “We proudly support and encourage you to exercise your rights to free speech, press, and protest. If you’re arrested or meet harm while exercising these rights, Axios will stand behind you and use the Family Fund to cover your bail or assist with medical bills.”
Questions About Intelligence Sharing
The intelligence summaries raise questions about why such assessments were not shared with President Trump at the time, according to The Federalist’s reporting. The documents’ release comes amid ongoing scrutiny of intelligence agencies’ handling of information related to foreign interference in American politics.
The declassification of these documents adds a new dimension to debates about foreign influence operations and the 2020 election. While Russian interference efforts in 2016 received extensive attention from media outlets and congressional investigators, the newly released documents suggest Chinese operations targeting the 2020 election may have received less scrutiny at the time.
The documents do not appear to establish direct coordination between Chinese operatives and specific media organizations or protest organizers, but they outline Chinese intentions to amplify existing divisions and leverage multiple platforms to spread narratives favorable to their strategic interests.
The release of these intelligence summaries is likely to intensify debates about foreign interference in American democratic processes and the role of media organizations in either resisting or inadvertently facilitating such efforts. It also raises questions about the extent to which intelligence agencies kept political leaders informed of foreign influence operations during a contentious election year.
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/18/intel-agency-assessed-china-planned-to-encourage-violent-blm-riots-to-hurt-trump-in-2020/