Trump's America Under Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from the East

As the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not just considering what humor to deliver. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I refrain from openly criticizing the government,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it isn't recorded for social media. “I would never publicly share material where I openly disparage authorities … I think this is a learned behavior from China.”

Wang, 39, resided in Shanghai for nearly a decade, departing in that year. By 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on freedom,” going to talks, demonstrations, and exploring the city's library system.

But over the past year after the president returned to office again, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “In China, I knew where the line was, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Her concerns mirror a new political reality in America which many Chinese, or those who have lived in China, find disturbingly familiar. Enemies face exclusion. The leader demands absolute loyalty. Journalists are targeted. Institutions come under fire.

The president has openly expressed about his admiration for Xi Jinping, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called him as “fantastic”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of nations with diametrically opposed political systems was evident. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with China may help the growing nation become more open, in the current administration, it appears that America is being pulled in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“America is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The president, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or undermine established figures … similar to events in the country decades past.”

Ever since Trump initiated the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics through the lens of China's historical period. 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 the US, though without equivalent degrees of violence.

But after the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, distinct type of climate has settled in the US, which variously seems familiar to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

The deepest similarity between Trump’s America and the East is the crackdown on open expression.

A former police officer, now a CCP critic, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in China. He resided in the US since 2019, after escaping China due to harassment from the authorities.

In September, after the death of a public figure, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – many of whom lost their jobs as a result of expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy seeking to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing could happen in the United States – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

His backlash came from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of social surveillance also has similarities with the East.

“In terms of going after those who disagree and starting to surveil public speech about issues that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” said an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “This is that you see in the East now as well,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in the US of students reporting on educators, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the legal expert, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to the US for ideals, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “America isn't some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined generally.”

“We once viewed America as the symbol of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become dimmer”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but post-COVID, the government appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, as represented by America, appear declining.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in US companies has prompted parallels with the East, where the line between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, the US government announced it would become an investor in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, following similar stakes in other companies it considers vital to the country's safety. These moves have made some investors nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between Trump’s America and China. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on government-authorised news. US courts have halted or reversed numerous Trump’s actions, an action that would be impossible in the nation's party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor observes that while many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see American colleges yield to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in China, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. Administrators, who are appointed by the state, “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 speak for this piece. He stated: “The truth is, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad