About this episode

Nate Friedman discusses the financial backing behind protests and the implications of his findings on activism.

Are the protests filling Western streets truly spontaneous - or are some being engineered from above? Investigative journalist Nate Friedman followed the money behind what looked like grassroots activism. He says he uncovered repeat organisers, nonprofit pass-throughs, more than $20 million connected to one little-known billionaire—and the same network appearing behind cause after cause. Subscribe to his amazing channel:  @natefriedman  In this rare long-form conversation, Nate reveals how he tracks the people and organisations behind mass demonstrations, why activists tried to block his street interviews and why he says major protests suddenly disappeared after federal investigators began asking questions. He tells Andrew what shocked him most when he came to Britain, why New York could be a warning to the rest of the West, how social media helps charismatic radicals gain power—and why the funding trail keeps leading back to China. But Andrew challenges him on the questions his critics will ask: Are ordinary protesters actually being paid? Can street interviews represent an entire community? Does editing distort the picture? And is Nate documenting a coordinated…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Gold

Guest: Nate Friedman

Topics covered

• protests
• activism
• investigative journalism
• funding
• social media
• political movements

Keywords

• protests
• activism
• funding
• Nate Friedman
• investigative journalism
• social media
• political machine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: China

More episodes of Heretics | Andrew Gold

• We Laughed at Them. Then They Took Over - Gavin McInnes (Vice Media & Proud Boys) · September 7, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Gene Simmons: Stop Letting These Celebrities Do This · August 31, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Vanessa Feltz: This Interview Got Surprisingly Heated · August 27, 2026 · 1h 16m
• Everybody Loves Raymond Star: I Had to Join Hollywood’s Secret Network - Patricia Heaton · August 24, 2026 · 1h 11m
• The CIA Used Mind Control On Manson. They Still Use It - Tom O’Neill · August 20, 2026 · 1h 20m
• She's The Most Evil Person Online - Kanika Batra · August 17, 2026 · 1h 3m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Heretics | Andrew Gold podcast page.