The America During Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Familiar to Those Watching from the East

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, takes the stage in New York, she is not just considering which jokes to tell. She also weighs what subjects to steer clear of. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she stated. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't recorded for social media. “I'd never publish openly material where I openly disparage the government … I believe this is a habit from China.”

Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for nearly a decade, departing in 2022. By 2025, she moved to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” attending lectures, protests, and delving into New York’s public library.

But over the past year after Donald Trump returned to office again, there has been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “In China, I knew where the line was, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Her fears reflect a new political reality in the US which many Chinese, or those with experience in the country, find eerily similar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader demands total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments are attacked.

Trump has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with vastly different political systems became clear. Following years of hope in America that improved relations with the East may help the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems that the US is being pulled in China's path, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is undergoing an era of societal upheaval,” stated a constitutional law expert, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is trying to mobilise the grassroots to marginalize or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in China decades past.”

Ever since the administration unleashed what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers see American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Whether it is the mobilisation of young people to carry out the leader’s will, or cleansing institutions of perceived enemies, the president as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit absent the same levels of force.

However since the upheaval of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has emerged in the country, which in different ways also feels recognizable to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Less Bright’

The most profound parallel between Trump’s America and the East is the suppression on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP critic, found himself in the eye of a storm recently, the likes of which he once faced in his homeland. Deng resided in the US since 2019, having fled the country due to pressure from the authorities.

In September, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people nationwide – many of whom were fired as a result of expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. His family was doxed and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this could happen in the United States – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, instead of the government, but that kind of social surveillance also has parallels with China.

“In terms of going after dissenters and starting to surveil public speech about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing in the US,” said an academic, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something that you see in the East now as too,” she said, adding that there were now fears in the US of students reporting on teachers, a form of surveillance that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the legal expert, explained that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to America for political inspiration, in part because public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. But now, “America is no longer a god for progressive Chinese. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, authorities appears to be pursuing the right thing in environmental protection and promoting EVs and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “the West, as represented by America, appear declining.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of shares in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the distinction between state and business is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government announced it would become an investor in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, following similar stakes in other companies deemed vital to national security. The deals have left some investors nervous that the US is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

Yet, there remain major differences between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets among others refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that demanded reporting solely on government-authorised news. US courts have halted or reversed numerous presidential measures, an action that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang notes that although numerous scholars in the country were shocked to see US universities yield to government demands regarding diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on campus, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. University leaders, which are appointed by the state, “cannot refuse. They dare not defy orders.”

Nevertheless, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this article. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression here: I genuinely feel less afraid criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad