Trump's United States During Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from China

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto her platform in the Big Apple, she's not only considering what humor to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she explained. And when she does, she makes certain it's not recorded for online platforms. “I would never publicly share material in which I openly disparage authorities … I believe it's a learned behavior acquired back home.”

Wang, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for almost ten years, departing in 2022. By 2025, she moved to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and exploring the city's public library.

However over the past year since Donald Trump was elected again, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “In China, I understood where the line was, while here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears mirror an emerging climate in America which numerous individuals from China, or those who have lived in China, find disturbingly similar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader expects total allegiance. Reporters are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has openly expressed about his admiration for Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader. He has described him as “fantastic”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in the trade war on Thursday, the bonhomie between both figures of nations with vastly different political systems became clear. Following years of optimism in the US that improved relations with China could assist the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears as if America is shifting in China's path, rather than the other way around.

“The United States is undergoing an era of cultural revolution,” stated a constitutional law expert, a professor at Peking University. “The president, Donald Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or weaken established figures … similar to what happened in China decades past.”

Ever since Trump unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or purging organizations of perceived enemies, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without the same levels of force.

However after the upheaval of the initial period of the new administration has calmed, an unfamiliar, distinct type of climate has settled in the US, which variously also feels recognizable to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between Trump’s America and the East is the suppression on open expression.

A former police officer, turned CCP dissenter, ended up in a controversy recently, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in his homeland. He has lived in the US for several years, after escaping China because of pressure from officials.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people across the US – who were fired for making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this could happen in America – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, instead of the government, but such of public monitoring also has similarities with the East.

“In terms of going after dissenters and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “This is that you see in the East today as too,” she said, stating that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against educators, a type of monitoring that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to America for political inspiration, in part because public debate on internal affairs in China is risky. However, “The US is no longer a god for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened generally.”

“We once viewed America as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It's somewhat painful to accept this … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, seems to be in decline.”

The government's purchase of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the line between state and business is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities announced it would become a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, following similar stakes in other companies it considers essential for the country's safety. The deals have made certain stakeholders nervous that America is entering a new era of state intervention in the private sector.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and China. Last month, several news organisations among others declined to agree to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on approved information. American judiciary have blocked or reversed many of Trump’s actions, something that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “The United States could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor observes that although many intellectuals in China were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to government demands concerning DEI policies and open discourse on university grounds, in China, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. Administrators, which are appointed by the government, “cannot of saying no. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to adopt measures that were once confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college once vocal on bilateral matters refused to speak for this piece. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression in the US: I actually feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad