Trump's United States Under Trump's Second Term Feels Strangely Recognizable to Those Watching from China

When the standup comedian, a rising performer, takes her platform in New York, she's not just thinking about what humor to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the administration,” she stated. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't captured for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly material in which I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a learned behavior from China.”

Wang, thirty-nine, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly a decade, leaving in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she embarked on an intense period of “overindulging on freedom,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and exploring the city's library system.

However in the year after the president was elected again, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “In China, I understood where the line was, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns mirror an emerging political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in the country, find eerily familiar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader demands total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Institutions are attacked.

Trump has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's authoritarian figure. He has described Xi as a “great guy”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with diametrically opposed political systems was evident. And after decades of optimism in America that improved relations with China may help the growing nation become more open, in the current administration, it appears that America is shifting in the Chinese direction, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is experiencing an era of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or weaken the elite … reminiscent of events in China decades past.”

Ever since Trump unleashed the so-called a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics through the lens of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of perceived enemies, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without the same levels of violence.

But since the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which in different ways also feels recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between the US today and the East is the crackdown on open expression.

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP dissenter, ended up in the eye of a storm this year, the likes of which he once faced in China. Deng has lived in America for several years, after escaping the country due to harassment from officials.

Last fall, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – many of whom were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – he encountered significant backlash. Relatives was doxed and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy seeking to create division.

“That event surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this would occur in the United States – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, instead of the state, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and monitoring open discourse on topics deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something observed in the East now as well,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a form of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers such as him used to look to America for ideals, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. However, “The US is no longer a ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, this lighthouse appears dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing the right thing in environmental protection and developing electric cars and investing in hi-tech,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, appear in decline.”

The government's purchase of stakes in US companies has also drawn comparisons with China, where the line between government and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, authorities stated it would become an investor in a new company focused on rare earth processing, following comparable shares in additional firms it considers essential for national security. These moves have made some investors concerned that America is entering a new era of state intervention in private industry.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on approved information. US courts have halted or reversed many of Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, commented: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of all time, far more severe than currently, and it would remain freer, open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that while many intellectuals in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to government demands regarding DEI policies and open discourse on campus, in the East, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. Administrators, who are appointed by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They dare not defy orders.”

Still, Americans are beginning to take precautions that were once confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college once outspoken on US-China issues declined to be interviewed for this article. He said: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship here: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad