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

When the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she's not only considering which jokes to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I don't engage in openly criticizing the administration,” she explained. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I would never publish openly content where I directly criticize the government … I think this is a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for almost ten years, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to America. When she got there, she embarked on a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and exploring New York’s library system.

But over the past year after the president returned to office again, there's been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “In China, I knew where the line was, whereas in the US I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears reflect a new political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those who have lived in the country, perceive as eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader demands total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He has described him as “fantastic”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with diametrically opposed governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in America that closer ties with the East could assist the rising power become more open, in the current administration, it seems as if America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, instead of the other way around.

“America is experiencing an era of cultural revolution,” said Zhang Qianfan, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to marginalize or undermine established figures … reminiscent of events in the country half a century ago.”

Ever since Trump unleashed the so-called a government streamlining body, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy early on of his term, many in China see US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the mobilisation of young people to execute presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of those deemed opposition, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without equivalent degrees of force.

However since the turmoil of the initial period under Trump subsided, a new, distinct type of climate has emerged in the US, which variously seems recognizable to many Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Is Dimmer’

The deepest parallel between Trump’s America and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party critic, ended up in a controversy this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in his homeland. He has lived in America for several years, after escaping the country because of pressure from the authorities.

In September, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – many of whom lost their jobs for making negative comments regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing would occur in America – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His backlash originated from fellow social media users, rather than the government, but that kind of public monitoring also has parallels with the East.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and monitoring open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” noted an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “This is observed in the East today as well,” she added, adding that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against educators, a form of monitoring that has been encouraged by the CCP.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to America for ideals, since openly discussing domestic politics in the country is risky. But now, “The US is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see the US as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse appears less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, at least in private, critical of the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but after the pandemic, the government seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “Western nations, exemplified by the United States, appear declining.”

The government's acquisition of shares in American firms has prompted parallels with China, where the line between state and business is frequently unclear.

Recently, the US government announced it would become a shareholder in a new company specialising in mineral refinement, following similar stakes in additional firms it considers essential for the country's safety. These moves have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and the East. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on approved news. US courts have halted or reversed many of Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in China’s party-dominated legal system.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States might face its gravest challenge of its history, orders of magnitudes worse 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 the country were surprised to see US universities capitulate to official requests regarding DEI policies and open discourse on campus, in the East, leading institutions are publicly controlled by default. University leaders, who are selected by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, people in the US are starting to take precautions that were once confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college once outspoken on US-China issues refused to be interviewed for this piece. He stated: “Honestly, I fear of suppression in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad