Trump's America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from China

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not only thinking about which jokes to tell. Additionally, she weighs what subjects to avoid. “I don't engage in openly attacking the administration,” she explained. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it's not recorded for social media. “I'd never publish openly content where I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a habit from China.”

Wang, 39, resided in Shanghai for nearly ten years, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she dove into an intense period of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s public library.

But over the past year after the president was elected again, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s fears reflect a new climate in America which many Chinese, or those who have lived in the country, perceive as disturbingly familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Institutions are attacked.

Trump has openly expressed about his admiration for China's leader, China’s strongman leader. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with the East may help the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems as if America is shifting in China's path, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is experiencing an era of societal upheaval,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses to sideline or weaken established figures … similar to events in China half a century ago.”

Ever since Trump initiated the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start of his term, many in China have viewed 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 from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without equivalent degrees of force.

However after the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, distinct type of climate has emerged in the country, which variously also feels familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

The deepest similarity between Trump’s America and China is the suppression on open expression.

A former police officer, now a Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in the eye of a storm recently, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng has lived in America for several years, having fled China because of harassment from the authorities.

In September, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Similar to others nationwide – who lost their jobs as a result of expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy attempting to divide the US.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing could happen in America – what typically happens in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, rather than the state, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and monitoring public speech on topics deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge here,” noted an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “This is observed in China today as too,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to the US for political inspiration, since openly discussing internal affairs in the country is risky. However, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, that guide appears less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, appear in decline.”

The government's acquisition of shares in US companies has also drawn parallels with the East, where the distinction 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 additional firms it considers vital to national security. These moves have made some investors concerned that America is embarking on a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and the East. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that demanded reporting solely on government-authorised information. US courts have blocked or reversed numerous presidential measures, an action that would be unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, said: “America could descend into the worst crisis of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it would remain freer, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that while many intellectuals in the country were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on campus, in China, leading institutions are all state-owned by default. University leaders, which are appointed by the government, “cannot refuse. They dare not defy orders.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are beginning to take precautions previously associated with repressive regimes. An academic at an American college who was previously vocal on US-China issues declined to be interviewed for this article. He stated: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad