Chinese fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui’s anti-Chinese Communist Party hip-hop single might have become a chart-topping hit but it could be a self-defense tactic in light of the recent arrest of his close ally Steve Bannon, says a political commentator.

Guo, who has been living in exile in the United States, released an English-language single “Take Down the CCP” on online music platforms iTunes and Spotify on Sept. 8. The song, recorded under the name Miles Guo, was a collaboration between a 12-member team from Hollywood and himself, he said. On the day of the song’s release, he announced that he will be inking a deal with a U.S. music label to produce 100 to 500 anti-CCP songs.

U.S. website The National Pulse reported that “Take Down the CCP” occupied the top spot on the iTunes download chart for 72 hours. The song is ranked at number two on the iTunes Hong Kong chart and third in the Taiwan chart. Guo claimed that the song could help strengthen a global consensus to fight against the party.

But there was more to this anti-CCP tactic than met the eye, political commentator Sang Pu said. Guo – who is a member of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida – has been making comments that were apparently supportive of the president’s Democrat rival Joe Biden, such as spreading rumors about Biden planning to cancel the one-China policy, Sang said.

Guo’s political stance on China also appears to have flip-flopped, Sang said. In the past, for example, he made high-profile claims to be working to end corruption in China; now he claims to want to overthrow the CCP.

Former Trump adviser Bannon is facing fraud charges over allegations he siphoned off money raised through the We Build the Wall campaign. He was arrested in August in a dawn swoop on a US$35 million, 150-foot yacht that belongs to Guo, according to U.S. law enforcement units.

Bannon was a close ally of Guo and the pair formed GTV Media Group in April. Shortly after the yacht raid, Guo issued a statement to distance himself from Bannon, who also said that he could not continue to be a part of GTV. GTV had been the subject of a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over US$300 million of financing, the Wall Street Journal reported in August. The bank accounts of GTV’s parent were closed.

Guo’s background and connections with the CCP have aroused suspicion as he has been a vocal critic of President Xi Jinping’s subordinates but has never criticized Xi openly, said Sang.

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