The Bannon-inspired content production formula worked, and thousands of Guo’s fans took action, online and off.
At the extreme end, some of his followers rallied outside the homes of Guo’s enemies. Most of those enemies were themselves dissidents, who had somehow crossed the tycoon, prompting him to accuse them of being Chinese spies.
Although he has denied encouraging violence, Guo launched what he called a “punishing the traitors” campaign.
Several of those targeted allegedly received death threats. At least one was beaten by Guo’s followers.
Teng Biao, a dissident who fled China and is a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, was one of the people targeted in the “traitors” campaign. He said that he began writing about Guo in 2017, believing that the businessman was discrediting the work of Chinese dissidents.
Guo sued Mr Teng for defamation, but the case was dismissed.
That did not stop the attacks.
For two months starting in late 2021, up to 30 activists rallied every day outside of his house in New Jersey, Mr Teng told the BBC.
“They were standing in front of my house and holding banners and signs calling me a [Chinese Communist Party] spy and they kept filming my house, livestreaming, and cursing me and my children and my family,” Mr Teng said. “His followers sent me death threats.”
Coco, the investor who has since turned against Guo, said she participated in a rally outside the house of another Chinese dissident, Bob Fu.
Fu is a pastor and religious freedom activist who left China in the 1990s. Guo accused him of being a Chinese spy.
“I regret joining these actions very much,” Coco said. “Those people are not Chinese Communist Party spies as Guo said.”
Another former follower who worked for Guo as a volunteer translator, but did not want to be named for fear of retribution, told the BBC that his companies collected personal information on followers who gave money, claiming they were “know your customer” checks like those regularly used by banks.
“He has all their personal information, passport, identity cards, address, email, phone numbers, you name it,” she said.
The result, she alleged, is that many followers – especially those still living in China – are afraid of speaking out because they worry this information will be leaked.
