The Truth About Paid Protestors: Claims, Facts, and Misinformation

 

What's Being Claimed?

Across social media platforms, supporters of Donald Trump have been sharing a now-debunked Craigslist ad as alleged proof that the protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids were made up of "paid agitators." Some claim that these individuals are being funded by left-wing or Democratic-affiliated organisations to stir unrest, destabilise Trump's presidency, and provoke federal intervention.

One comment said:

"These are paid agitators. We have seen this before. Trump knows this. They have already discovered the groups paying these people."

But is there any truth to this?

The Craigslist Ad: Fact-Checked

The infamous ad offering $6,500–$12,500 per week for “tough badasses” was not a covert recruitment scheme—it was a prank.

• Origin: Posted by Joey LaFleur, co-host of a prank podcast Goofcon1.

• Intent: Meant as satire, not activism or insurrection.

• Timing: Uploaded the day before protests began in LA.

• Verified by: Associated Press, WRAL, and multiple outlets.

The ad was later repackaged by pro-Trump commentators as evidence of organised, paid protest efforts. But this is misinformation.

Are Any Groups Paying Protestors?

To date, no credible evidence has surfaced showing that individuals were paid to agitate or commit violence in the LA protests.

• No verified payments, contracts, or insider reports have been found.

• No law enforcement claims have supported these allegations.

• Senator Josh Hawley has opened a probe into the nonprofit CHIRLA, but so far no wrongdoing has been discovered. CHIRLA states it funds legal observers, not agitators.

Even though some nonprofits receive government grants, there is no documented link between this funding and any unlawful behaviour.

What About Trump and Paid Provocation?

There is no evidence whatsoever that Donald Trump or his associates have funded violent protests to justify invoking the Insurrection Act. However, there are some historical and rhetorical precedents worth noting:

• Trump has repeatedly suggested that outside groups are responsible for violence at protests.

• During the 2020 protests, Trump and his allies made similar claims about "Antifa thugs," but federal investigations found no organised nationwide funding of agitators.

• Authoritarian playbooks have historically used false threats of unrest to justify a crackdown. There is concern Trump may exploit fabricated threats to trigger the Insurrection Act.

Why These Claims Are Dangerous

Unfounded claims of "paid rioters" are not harmless speculation:

• They serve to delegitimise grassroots protest.

• They create false justification for military deployment.

• They contribute to deep political polarisation.

Without evidence, these accusations are nothing more than conspiracy theories—used to distract, inflame, and provoke.

Gary’s Soapbox Comment

There is no confirmed evidence that any group—left, right, or otherwise—is paying people to riot in Los Angeles. The Craigslist ad was a prank. The political narrative built on it is fiction.

If Trump or his supporters use this misinformation to justify invoking the Insurrection Act, it will not be a response to chaos—it will be a manipulation of it.

The Badass Craigslist Fiction Touted As Fact

 

When a Prank Becomes Propaganda

A bizarre Craigslist ad offering $6,500–$12,500 per week for "the toughest badasses in the city" recently went viral—and not for the reasons its creators intended. The ad, which called for individuals who "face danger head-on" and claimed they would be "activated when the situation demands it," was posted in the general labour section for Los Angeles and framed like a recruitment call for urban combat.

On the surface, it sounded like a secret paramilitary operation or the plot of a dystopian thriller. But it was neither.

The Reality: A Podcast Prank

Joey LaFleur, co-host of the prank show and podcast Goofcon1, later confirmed that the ad was part of a live stunt. In their third episode, he and his co-host Logan Quiroz called people who responded to the ad and laughed through the absurdity of it all. The show had no connection to political protests, riots, or organised unrest. The ad was posted on Thursday, before any immigration protest began in Los Angeles.

“I literally had no idea it was ever going to be connected to the riots. It was a really weird coincidence,” said Joey LaFleur, who posted the ad on Craigslist.

The ad was developed as part of a new prank show called Goofcon1, said LaFleur, who hosts the podcast with Logan Quiroz. On their show Friday, the day protests began, they spoke live on the phone with people who responded during Goofcon1’s third episode. LaFleur noted during the episode that he also posted a more “militaristic” version of the ad in Craigslist’s Austin section, but didn’t get many responses.

LaFleur himself later posted on Instagram: "Accidentally goofed the entire nation on the latest @goofcon1." In another post, he joked about ending up on Newsmax.

But what started as satire was quickly weaponised.

How It Was Repackaged as Fact

The Craigslist ad was picked up and posted as real by various Trump-aligned influencers, including news anchor Christina Aguayo. On her Facebook channel, under the branding Christina Aguayo News, she posted:

"Craigslist ADs paying people $6,500 to $12,500 per week to be 'tough bad*sses' in Los Angeles. This isn’t for everyone."

She gave no context that it was a joke or a prank. No fact-check. No update when the ad was debunked. And no acknowledgement that the post was feeding a dangerous misinformation cycle.

The Facts, Cross-Checked

• Source: Joey LaFleur, Goofcon1 podcast

• Purpose: Comedy and prank experiment

• Timeline: Posted before LA protests began

• Verification: Confirmed by the Associated Press and WRAL

• Current status: Shared widely as disinformation among Trump supporters

Why This Matters

False claims about paid protesters have long been used to discredit legitimate political dissent. In 2020, similar stories were used to delegitimise Black Lives Matter protests. Now, in 2025, that tactic is resurfacing.

In this case, the prank ad is being cited by Trump supporters as evidence of an orchestrated leftist insurrection—fuel for Trump’s ongoing narrative of chaos and justification for bringing in federal troops.

Christina Aguayo: Bias and Misrepresentation

Christina Aguayo, a presenter affiliated with Salem News Channel, has a history of amplifying conservative talking points. Her Facebook feed contains largely pro-Trump messaging, often lacking source transparency or corrections.

By presenting the Craigslist ad without context and continuing to leave it up after its debunking, Aguayo effectively contributed to the spread of false information. She failed the basic journalistic responsibility to fact-check, update, or clarify.

Gary’s Soapbox Comment

This isn’t just sloppy journalism—it’s reckless. A prank ad, clearly meant for laughs, gets picked up and repackaged as evidence of a left-wing plot. Trump supporters are using this fiction to justify talk of military intervention. It nudges Trump closer to invoking the Insurrection Act—a power that’s already been floated far too casually. This is how democracies degrade: not with grand declarations, but with lies repeated often enough to feel true.

Strangely, the language in the ad—"badasses," "high-risk," "no room for hesitation"—reflects exactly the kind of tough-guy image Trump likes to project. Yet Trump, a man who dodged the draft and avoids conflict unless surrounded by loyalists, is more reminiscent of a school bully: loud with his gang behind him, but the bravado fades when he's alone. That this ad unintentionally mirrored his bluster and then got used to validate his narrative is either a surreal coincidence or a cautionary tale about how fast fiction becomes political weaponry. A prank ad, clearly meant for laughs, gets picked up and repackaged as evidence of a left-wing plot. Trump supporters are using this fiction to justify talk of military intervention. It nudges Trump closer to invoking the Insurrection Act—a power that’s already been floated far too casually. This is how democracies degrade: not with grand declarations, but with lies repeated often enough to feel true.

Trump did Nothing Wrong - The Truth Behind The Los Angeles Federal Troop Deployment

 

A factual analysis of the June 2025 protests in Los Angeles, Trumps federal troop deployments, and the legal and political fallout

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In June 2025, large-scale protests erupted across Los Angeles following controversial ICE raids in cities like Compton and Paramount. As the situation escalated, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of over 4,000 National Guard troops and an additional 700 U.S. Marines to the city. This marked the first time since the civil rights era that a U.S. president sent military forces into a state without the governor's request or consent.

The move sparked significant legal and political backlash. Critics questioned not only the necessity but also the legality of such a deployment, while supporters pointed to claims that local law enforcement was overwhelmed. One assertion was that "Trump did nothing wrong; their own police commissioner said they were overwhelmed."

But what actually happened?

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LAPD’s Actual Response

Chief Jim McDonnell of the Los Angeles Police Department gave several media briefings during the height of the protests. In one of them, he addressed concerns about federal involvement:

"We're also aware of reports that the President intends or has deployed US Marines to Los Angeles. The introduction of federal military personnel without direct coordination creates logistical challenges and risks confusion during critical incidents. The LA Police Department, alongside our mutual aid partners, have decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstrations, and we remain confident in our ability to do so professionally and effectively."

In another briefing, McDonnell explained the local process for escalating law enforcement support:

"We deal with that with LAPD resources. When we need additional resources, we reach out to the sheriff, who brings in mutual aid. We have 14 different agencies working with us for that purpose. Only if we weren't able to continue to deal with that and needed additional help would we reach out to the sheriff who would request National Guard from the Governor."

Nowhere in McDonnell’s public remarks did he explicitly state that LAPD had failed to manage the situation or that they welcomed federal military intervention. In fact, his comments strongly imply the opposite: that the LAPD had systems in place and coordination underway with state and local partners.

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Legal Authority and California’s Response

The deployment raised constitutional questions. Typically, the President can only send federal troops into a U.S. state under strict legal conditions:

• If the state governor requests assistance

• Or if the Insurrection Act is invoked in response to rebellion, lawlessness, or obstruction of federal law

In this case, Governor Gavin Newsom did not request assistance. He had already activated the California National Guard and was coordinating with local law enforcement.

On June 9, 2025, the State of California, led by Governor Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the deployment. The suit argued that Trump had unlawfully federalised the National Guard, violating the Tenth Amendment and the principles of state sovereignty.

A subsequent emergency motion sought a temporary injunction to halt further deployments, citing the risk of operational confusion and the absence of a clear legal foundation.

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Media Reporting vs. Verifiable Statements

Some news outlets reported that LAPD was "overwhelmed," quoting anonymous sources or summarising McDonnell’s remarks. However, there is no publicly available video showing McDonnell using that exact term. The closest phrase—"this thing has gotten out of control"—was used in a broader context about protest escalation and logistics, not as an endorsement of Trump’s military response.

This distinction matters. Summaries and headlines often misrepresent the tone and intent of live statements. McDonnell’s actual words reflect a department managing a difficult situation, not one that had collapsed or invited federal military support.

Conclusion – Gary's Soapbox Comment

Deploying federal troops into a state without its consent sets a dangerous precedent. While Trump’s actions may have stayed within a narrow legal interpretation of Title 10, they clearly disregarded the norms of federal-state cooperation.

Chief McDonnell never asked for help from the President, nor did he suggest the LAPD had lost control. Quite the opposite—he highlighted existing coordination mechanisms and cautioned against the confusion caused by an uncoordinated federal force.

Slogans like "Trump did nothing wrong" may play well in comment sections, but they collapse under scrutiny. The facts show a president acting unilaterally in a situation the state was actively managing. California’s lawsuit isn’t a political stunt—it’s a defence of constitutional boundaries.

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Project 2025: Trumps Blueprint to Make America Great Again or Path to Dictatorship?

Introduction

In April 2023, the Heritage Foundation unveiled Project 2025, a sprawling 900-page manifesto designed to reshape the federal government from the inside out. Framed as a "presidential transition project," it was intended to prepare a future Republican administration—presumably under Donald Trump—with a ready-made plan to deconstruct and reconstruct American governance. Now, with Trump having reclaimed the White House in 2024, Project 2025 has morphed from blueprint to reality. The question is no longer if it will be implemented, but how far it will go, and what it means for democracy.

What Has Already Been Implemented?
Since Trump's return to office in January 2025, his administration has rapidly executed substantial portions of the Project 2025 agenda:

• Civil Service Overhaul: The reinstatement of Schedule F has allowed the purging of thousands of career civil servants, effectively replacing neutral bureaucrats with partisan loyalists. A newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has enacted sweeping layoffs and job freezes, gutting regulatory agencies from within.

• Climate and Environmental Deregulation: The U.S. has once again withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement. The EPA has faced crippling budget cuts and has seen the rollback of dozens of Obama-era regulations. National monument protections have been reduced, and FEMA's flood insurance programme is on the chopping block.

• Leadership Realignment: Key Project 2025 architects like Russ Vought, John Ratcliffe, and Peter Navarro have been installed in influential positions. The personnel strategy is a central pillar of the project—"personnel is policy"—and this has now been fully embraced.

• Executive Orders and Legal Restructuring: Trump has signed over three dozen executive orders that directly align with Project 2025's objectives, including curbing the powers of the Department of Justice, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Merit Systems Protection Board.

• Detention and Deportation Infrastructure: The Department of Homeland Security has begun mass detentions and deportations, with reports emerging of makeshift camps operating in remote locations with little oversight. Human rights organisations have raised alarms, likening the facilities to early-stage concentration camps. Multiple whistleblowers claim detainees have gone missing, with no records of where they were transferred, if at all. Legal experts argue that many of these deportations violate constitutional protections and international human rights standards.

• Targeting of Judicial and Political Dissent: Trump and his allies have increasingly used threats and intimidation against judges, governors, and political opponents. Public statements warning officials not to "get in the way" have been accompanied by loosely veiled promises of legal action or arrest. While blatantly unconstitutional, these tactics have gone largely unchecked, spreading a climate of fear across all branches of governance.

What’s Ongoing?
The implementation is far from over. Major components of Project 2025 are actively being executed:

• Dismantling the Department of Education: Funding is being slashed, and responsibilities are being devolved to the states. Conservative curriculum reforms are underway, echoing Christian nationalist experiments already piloted in states like Oklahoma.

• Privatisation Push: From public lands to federal buildings and even education vouchers, the administration is pushing a neoliberal agenda of mass privatisation.

• State-Level Testbeds: Project-aligned states are acting as laboratories for federal policies. In Oklahoma, religious charter schools, Bible-centric curricula, and police-embedded classrooms are already being normalised.

• Expansion of Detention Camps: The administration is rapidly expanding detention facilities. These are becoming flashpoints for protest activity across the country. Footage and testimonies of abuse, poor conditions, and legal black holes have begun circulating online, fuelling both outrage and direct action.

What’s Next?
Looking ahead, the following steps appear imminent:

• Expanded Use of Schedule F: This policy will be used to grant Trump broader authority to purge dissenters and expand loyalist control.

• Deconstruction of Independent Agencies: Project 2025 explicitly targets so-called "deep state" institutions. Next up are the Federal Reserve, CDC, and even the National Institutes of Health.

• Insurrection Act Preparation?: Many observers warn of a darker trajectory. Trump's framing of opposition protests as domestic terrorism may lay the groundwork for invoking the Insurrection Act, potentially granting him near-martial powers.

Public Resistance and Protest Movements
Protests against Project 2025's implementation have erupted in major cities, with more planned throughout the summer. Civil rights groups, climate activists, federal worker unions, and educational advocates are mobilising against what they see as a hostile takeover of American institutions. Organisers have warned that attempts to suppress dissent through force will only escalate tensions.

The deportations and camps are becoming the rallying cry of a new protest movement. From student groups to religious leaders, a broad coalition is demanding the immediate release of detainees and transparency on who has disappeared. In several cities, demonstrations have turned violent, escalated by aggressive federal crackdowns, raising fears that this unrest could be used to justify invoking the Insurrection Act.

International Reaction
European allies have expressed unease at the U.S.'s democratic backsliding. NATO members fear American disengagement, while human rights watchdogs are sounding alarms about authoritarian drift. As Trump tightens his grip, the U.S. risks international isolation and diminished global credibility.

Gary’s Soapbox Comment
Let’s not beat around the bush: this isn't just about bureaucracy. Trump is testing the limits of legality to provoke unrest—deliberately. Why? Because chaos is the perfect smokescreen. If the streets erupt, Trump can claim emergency powers, invoke the Insurrection Act, and turn the United States into a de facto dictatorship. Kamala Harris was right when she warned: he will send the military after you. His endgame isn't smaller government or Christian values—it's control. The plan is laid out in black and white in Project 2025. And if we're not careful, that document won’t just be a political manifesto—it’ll be a user manual for Trump’s rise to Dictator.