Podcast Summary: Newt's World – Episode 940: Xi Van Fleet on “Made in America”

Release Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Xi Van Fleet

Episode Overview

In this episode, Newt Gingrich hosts Xi Van Fleet, a prominent anti-communist voice and author of "Mao's America" and "Made in America: The Hidden History of How the US Enabled Communist China and Created Our Greatest Threat." The conversation centers on the historical and ideological connections between the Chinese Communist Party's rise and enabling actions from the United States, the dangers of Marxist ideology in American institutions, and the personal experiences that shaped Xi Van Fleet's activism. The episode explores the parallels between Mao's Cultural Revolution and present-day political movements in the US, the risk of internal subversion, and what Americans must understand to confront the CCP and communist ideology at home.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Xi Van Fleet’s Awakening and Activism

• Personal Background & Viral Speech
  • Xi had been in the United States for over 35 years, largely ignoring politics, believing she'd left communism behind.
  • In 2020, witnessing the rise of what she identified as Marxist ideology in the US, particularly through Critical Race Theory (CRT), she decided to speak out, likening CRT to Mao's Cultural Revolution.
  • Her one-minute speech at the Loudoun County school board meeting drew national attention.
  • Notable Quote:

    "I could no longer just sit aside... now I’m defending my home. Home is America. And I don’t want to see what happened in China happen here." — Xi Van Fleet [03:03]

2. Parallels Between Mao’s China and Woke/Identity Politics in the US

• Identity Politics as the Tool of Division

  • In Mao's China: People were divided by class (red or black); “black” meant enemy status for generations.
  • In modern America: Division is by race, with similar categorization as "oppressor" or "oppressed".
  • Both systems drive societal self-censorship and fear.
  • Notable Quote:

    "We are very afraid to be offensive. What that really is is that we started to censor ourselves just like the Cultural Revolution." — Xi Van Fleet [05:04]

• Purpose of Revolution: Pursuit of Power

  • Mao launched the Cultural Revolution to reclaim absolute power after losing influence post-Great Leap Forward.
  • Xi draws direct analogies to modern political tactics in the US.
  • Notable Quote:

    "He launched this Cultural Revolution... so that he can get his power. And he did. During the Cultural Revolution, he really became our God." — Xi Van Fleet [08:54]

3. American Complicity in Enabling the CCP

• Book's Main Thesis:
  • The US, through a combination of intellectual, political, and journalistic naivety or ideological sympathy, enabled China’s communist takeover and growth.
  • Early American writers and politicians misunderstood or glamorized the Chinese revolution (e.g., Edgar Snow, Woodrow Wilson).
  • Problems are compounded by true believers within American institutions (education, culture, politics) embracing or promoting Marxist ideas.

4. Indoctrination, Education, and the “Long March” Through Institutions

• Indoctrination in America
  • Marxists have successfully infiltrated and dominated educational and cultural institutions.
  • Critical of American universities for radicalizing not only natives but also immigrants.
  • Suggests that immigrants, as well as Americans, are being conditioned into victimhood and divisive ideologies.
  • Notable Quote:

    "It started in universities. Now it went to kindergarten. And that’s why they want to free kindergarten; government controlled." — Xi Van Fleet [17:29]

5. The Dangers of Internal Subversion and the Blurred Enemy Lines

• Difficulties of Distinction
  • It’s hard to distinguish friend from foe—those indoctrinated by Marxist ideas may not see themselves as enemies of America, but as victims or justice-seekers.
  • The indoctrinated are often “innocent victims,” manipulated into supporting a broader communist agenda.

6. De-indoctrination and Warnings Against American Complacency

• Learning from Hard Experience
  • In China, the Red Guards only learned the truth after experiencing personal hardship and betrayal; Xi fears America could repeat this cycle.
  • She furthers that education and awareness are the only preventative.
  • Notable Quote:

    "We have to do the same or we let America fall. And then everybody figured out. But by then we cannot get the power back without a blood bath." — Xi Van Fleet [18:56]

7. Tiananmen Square and Loss of Illusions

• Xi recounts her disbelief at the 1989 massacre, showing how even indoctrinated citizens can have their assumptions shattered by regime violence.
• Notable Quote:

  "I did not believe that they would open fire... When that happened, it shattered my last... whatever I hold on, that CCP is not that bad. It’s over." — Xi Van Fleet [23:54]

8. Power Struggles and the Risks of Xi Jinping’s Dictatorship

• Xi comments on Xi Jinping’s military purges and the increased risk that sycophancy creates for reckless moves—particularly regarding Taiwan.
• Notable Quote:

  "Anyone who will replace those people will absolutely be 100% yes man. So what does that mean?... If Xi Jinping take reckless action, there’s no one there to slow him down... Taiwan might be example." — Xi Van Fleet [25:55]

9. Trump's Approach and the Real Source of Threat

• Praises Trump as the only US president to truly grasp and confront the CCP threat, but cautions that America’s internal ideological subversion is the bigger danger.

• Notable Quote:

  "The threat of the CCP is grave, but really the threat to America is the communist ideology inside our border." — Xi Van Fleet [28:49]

• Warning about False Friends:

  • Anti-CCP does not mean anti-communism; many US politicians support pro-democracy movements abroad while pushing Marxist policies at home (references Nancy Pelosi).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I thought freedom is a given. I really paid no attention to politics and I just focused on realizing my American dream until I started to see problems, warning signs." — Xi Van Fleet [03:09]
• "You learn the hard way. But we can’t let it happen here. By the time they learn from their own experience, it will be too late." — Xi Van Fleet [18:54]
• "Our challenge is, a lot of the true believers, they are innocent in many ways, innocent victims because they're indoctrinated." — Xi Van Fleet [22:43]
• "Anti CCP does not equate to anti Communism... Nancy Pelosi... all her policy and ideology here in the United States is communist." — Xi Van Fleet [29:23]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic/Content | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:20 | Xi Van Fleet describes her inspiration to speak out in the US | | 03:06 | Parallels between Critical Race Theory and Mao's Cultural Revolution | | 04:19 | Explanation of identity politics and division by labels | | 06:32 | The impact and aftermath of her viral speech | | 08:42 | Mao’s motivation for Cultural Revolution: Power | | 11:18 | Discussion of the "long march through institutions" in the US | | 13:43 | The complexity of distinguishing immigrants' intentions and indoctrination | | 17:29 | Indoctrination begins at university and now at kindergarten | | 18:45 | The challenge of de-indoctrination and the risks of learning "the hard way" | | 20:54 | Responses she receives from audiences, the continuing misunderstanding of communism | | 23:46 | Personal reflections on Tiananmen Square and shattered beliefs about the CCP | | 25:21 | Xi Jinping's purges and risks of unchecked power | | 27:24 | Praise for Trump’s approach to China and focus on internal communist threats | | 29:23 | Warning about “false friends”—being anti-CCP vs. anti-communism |

Conclusion

Xi Van Fleet’s account offers a stark warning about the dangers of complacency toward ideological subversion within the US and draws from her experiences under Mao to illuminate the stakes. The episode provides personal history, historical analysis, and an urgent call for vigilance against both external threats from the CCP and internal threats from Marxist ideology. Listeners are left with the sense that learning from the past—and from those who lived through it—is essential for America's future security and freedom.