"The Epoch Times" "generally stayed out of U.S. politics" before 2016, "unless they dovetailed with Chinese interests," according to a report by NBC News. Ben Hurley, a former "Epoch Times" employee until 2013, stated that the newspaper was critical toward abortion and LGBT and that Falun Gong practitioners "saw communism everywhere" including in internationalist figures like Hillary Clinton and Kofi Annan, "but there was more room for disagreements in the early days." Since 2016, according to NBC News, "The Epoch Times" has promoted favorable coverage of Trump's campaign and presidency, and emphasized issues such as Islamic terrorism and illegal immigration to the United States. It has also emphasized "what the publication claims is a labyrinthian, global conspiracy led by Clinton and former President Barack Obama to tear down Trump."