(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump and members of his administration have argued that protests aimed at opposing his agenda are held by paid actors.
One woman, who calls herself a “compensated activist,” told NewsNation it’s more complicated than that. The woman, who went by the pseudonym “Tanya” for this story, says she works with the firm Crowds on Demand, a company that organizes protests.
Tanya said she helps recruit paid protesters for events the company has been hired for and works with Crowds on Demand CEO Adam Swart to help organize and coordinate events.
“I’m watching, I’m there, I’m making sure everything goes well and everything remains peaceful, and we’re following the rules and making sure everything is up to par. That’s my job,” she said.
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Initially, Tanya started out as a paid protester for Swart’s company before her role evolved into a more senior position.
“So it was like 10 years ago. I was recruited for a protest that I was getting paid to attend. Someone told me about a protest that was going on in Connecticut against racism. And that caught my attention. But what was even more delicious about that situation was you were going to get paid as well,” she said.
How much do paid protesters make?
Tanya told NewsNation that the paid protesters for Crowds on Demand are compensated “modestly.”
She would not offer a specific amount, instead saying it’s nominal, adding that a day rate is under $500.
“The protesters that we have are being paid modestly. Nothing life-transforming or life-changing,” she said.
According to her, pay was not her motivation to protest but rather the cause at hand.
“It was because something that I was already doing with my time and energy, and it was just really beneficial that my time and energy was now being paid for, you know, which gave me an opportunity to focus on what I was really passionate about, which is change and freedom and standing up against injustice and changing systems and that’s like a dream,” Tanya said.
She continued, “I don’t know who wouldn’t be excited about that; so that was my motivation. I can live here in this country because nothing is free.”
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The “compensated activist” pushed back on the idea that being paid for protesting undercuts passion for the cause at hand.
“I think it’s a difference if you’re paid to push a narrative that you don’t believe in because you become a puppet. And that is not what we do,” she argued.
How are paid protesters recruited?
Tanya said that to recruit protesters, she goes to places where there is a “need,” like a college campus.
“Especially like a lot of college students who are already involved in activism, already involved in protests, already standing up for certain causes can be recruited if they’re in alignment with what we’re doing,” she said.
Tanya also says her organization may put out notices to attract activists and find people who are in agreement with a particular narrative.
“I can’t tell you all of my magic of how I get people,” she said.
How many protesters are paid?
Tanya said she believes that at large protests, the majority of protesters are paid.
“If I’m going to be very honest with you, it would vary depending on the protest. I would say something like these big protests like BLM (Black Lives Matter) or NRA (National Rifle Association), I would say the majority of them are most likely paid. They’re funded. They have billionaires, nonprofit billionaires that are bankrolling these protests,” she said.
At least one organization pushed back on that claim. Justin Davis, the NRA director of public affairs, told NewsNation in a written statement, “The NRA does not use paid protesters.”
The Trump administration has pointed to paid protesters as a sign that there are more nefarious groups behind them.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that the upcoming “No Kings” protest planned for this Saturday is part of the antifascist movement known as antifa.
“The ‘No Kings’ protest, Maria, really frustrating. I mean, this is part of antifa, paid protesters. It begs the question, who’s funding it? But, yeah, Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a ‘No Kings’ protest when the bottom line is, who’s running the show in the Senate?” Duffy told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria.”
Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the group Indivisible, which is participating in the “No Kings” protest, responded to Duffy’s comments on social media, saying, “This is what it looks like when you’ve fully lost control of the message and you’re panicking.”
NewsNation reached out to organizers of the “No Kings” protest and “Black Lives Matter” organizers but did not hear back.
