The paid-for content typically appeared as multi-page advertising supplements called “China Watch,” which were designed to resemble regular newspaper layouts. The Justice Department in the first Trump Administration revealed China Daily paid the Wall Street Journal nearly $6 million and The Washington Post nearly $4.6 million. During the U.S. 2018 midterm elections, the China Daily purchased a four-page “China Watch” insert in The Des Moines Register, the leading newspaper in Iowa. The insert included a report in which the China Daily criticized President Donald Trump’s tariff measures and emphasized the benefits of free trade for Iowa farmers, prompting a strong response from Trump, attacking China for meddling in the election. Influence operations targeting state and Local officials: The CCP’s influence apparatus, known as the “United Front Work Department,” has aggressively shifted focus toward municipal and state-level politics.