The America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Oddly Familiar to Observers from the East

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she is not only considering what humor to tell. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she explained. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I'd never publicly share content in which I directly criticize authorities … I think this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

Wang, thirty-nine, lived in Shanghai for nearly ten years, departing in 2022. By 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she embarked on an intense period of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” attending lectures, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s library system.

However over the past year since the president returned to office for the second time, there has been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “Back home, I knew where the line was, whereas here I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears reflect an emerging climate in the US which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in the country, perceive as disturbingly similar. Opponents are ostracised. The president expects total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's strongman leader. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the bonhomie between both figures of nations with vastly different governance models was evident. Following years of optimism in the US that closer ties with China may help the growing nation become more open, under Trump 2.0, it appears as if the US is shifting in the Chinese direction, rather than the other way around.

“The United States is experiencing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Donald Trump, is attempting to rally the grassroots to sideline or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in China half a century ago.”

Ever since the administration unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on the Washington bureaucracy early on in office, numerous Chinese observers see US politics through the lens of China's historical period. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or purging organizations of those deemed opposition, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit absent the same levels of violence.

However after the turmoil of the initial period of the new administration subsided, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the US, which in different ways seems recognizable to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Has Become Less Bright’

The most profound parallel between the US today and China is the crackdown on open expression.

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy recently, the likes of which he once faced in China. Deng has lived in America for several years, after escaping China because of pressure from the authorities.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people across the US – many of whom were fired for expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I hadn't thought such a thing could happen in America – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His pile on originated from online peers, instead of the government, but such of social surveillance also has similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and monitoring open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” said an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “That’s something observed in China today as well,” she added, adding that there were now fears in the US of students reporting on teachers, a type of surveillance promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to the US for political inspiration, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US is no longer a god for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has declined generally.”

“We once viewed the US as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, that guide appears dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, critical of the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It’s sort of difficult to acknowledge this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, seems to be in decline.”

The government's acquisition of shares in American firms has also drawn comparisons with the East, where the line between government and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government stated it will take a shareholder in a startup focused on mineral refinement, after taking similar stakes in additional firms it considers essential for the country's safety. The deals have made some investors concerned that America is embarking on a new era of state intervention in the private sector.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on approved news. American judiciary have blocked or overturned many of presidential measures, something that would be unthinkable in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than it is now, and it would remain more free, open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor observes that while numerous scholars in China were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. University leaders, which are selected by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to adopt measures previously associated with more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college once outspoken on US-China issues declined to speak for this article. He stated: “Honestly, I fear of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad