The Trump administration’s attack on its domestic critics reached its biggest stage yet at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22.
During his remarks before delegates from around the world, President Donald Trump said, “The Cuban regime has…spent decades coordinating with the left-wing radicals and communist networks here in the United States. As our State Department has detailed, they’ve cultivated ties to subversive and radical groups such as the Communist Party USA, Antifa, and the Dumocrat [sic] Socialists of America.”
This represents the culmination of months of efforts to connect opposition to MAGA to foreign influence.
The opening salvo in this most recent attempt was fired in May, when Fox News reported that the Justice and Treasury Departments were investigating U.S. nonprofits and activist groups over alleged coordination with the Cuban government.
Fox also published its own list of 145 organizations it tied to Cuba solidarity work, ranging from political organizations such as the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to labor unions, including the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) affiliates.
The probes concern possible claimed violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and U.S. sanctions on Cuba, which the Treasury Department enforces.
FARA has played a key role in the escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to silence its critics. The law prohibits “agents of foreign principals” from operating in the United States without registering with the Attorney General. It has traditionally been interpreted, in line with the First Amendment, not to cover opposition to government policy by Americans and American organizations.
However, National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, signed by Trump on Sept. 25, 2025, listed FARA violations among the possible crimes to investigate in its campaign against what it calls “organized political violence,” a campaign that singles out “anti-fascist” movements. The memorandum named “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity” as “common threads” of the conduct it targets.
Since the publication of Memorandum 7, Republicans in Congress have intensified attempts to hush up MAGA’s critics through the legal system. In February, Sen.Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for an investigation into the funding of anti-ICE protests, alleging that some funders have “possible ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
In June, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., likewise asked the DOJ to investigate whether opposition to data centers is being driven by China, a theme Trump has echoed. He wrote on social media that China “could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement” and told Fox News that “a lot of people say that it’s a China PR thing.”
July subpoenas of the People’s Forum, Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, and BreakThrough News by the GOP-controlled House Ways and Means Committee, as well as a related federal grand jury investigation in Manhattan into the groups’ funding, demonstrate right-wing forces’ determination to use allegations of foreign influence against dissenters.
The DOJ appears to be escalating these efforts, issuing a rare statement on Sept. 16 to “remind the public” of FARA, singling out “public demonstrations designed to further the propaganda or other goals of the foreign power.” This alludes to widespread false allegations that protests in opposition to the MAGA agenda are driven by foreign influence.
These developments could also serve as a potential justification for war. In a State Department report released in July, the Trump administration portrayed Cuba as a threat to the United States because of its supposed influence on the American left.
Likewise, during Trump’s UN speech, he said his administration is seeking “a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba” and declared, “We’ll not allow a haven for foreign adversaries to threaten America on our own doorstep.” This comes as CBS News reports, citing an internal Army message and unnamed U.S. officials, that the military may be laying the groundwork for potential action involving Cuba.
The administration’s approach has extensive historical precedent. McCarthyism was defined in large part by tales of foreign influence, which served as both political and legal justification for the persecution of people on the left and for the passage of some of the most severe restrictions on freedom of speech in the nation’s history.
Progressive forces in the U.S. have not taken the administration’s threats lying down. In a Sept. 24 statement responding to Trump’s UN speech, the CPUSA quoted Co-chair Rossana Cambron, who called the allegations “a complete and unadulterated fabrication,” adding, “Our policies are made exclusively in the USA.” The CPUSA also condemned the subpoenas meant to intimidate the People’s Forum and other left-wing groups in an Aug. 1 statement.
Likewise, DSA responded in an Aug. 10 statement to the State Department’s report, which falsely claimed to link it and other left-wing groups to a Cuban foreign influence operation, stating that “DSA does not organize on behalf of the Cuban Government, only of its own accord,” and that the report “is a tool for fulfilling Rubio and Trump’s personal goals of regime change.” The statement also reaffirmed DSA’s commitment to organizing against the U.S. blockade of Cuba despite the administration’s pressure.
While the administration’s efforts to suppress its opposition continue, the grassroots movement against MAGA will not be silent.
As with all op-es published by People’s World, this article reflects the views of its author.
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