Trump's United States During the New Administration Feels Oddly Recognizable to Observers from China

As Vickie Wang, a rising comedic talent, steps onto the stage in New York, she's not only considering what humor to tell. Additionally, she weighs what subjects to avoid. “I refrain from openly criticizing the government,” she stated. Or if she ventures there, she ensures it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I would never publish openly material where I openly disparage the government … I believe it's a habit from China.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for nearly a decade, leaving 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 the city's library system.

However over the past year after the president returned to office for the second time, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, whereas here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s fears reflect a new climate in America which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in China, perceive as eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The president demands absolute loyalty. Journalists are targeted. Institutions come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with diametrically opposed governance models was evident. And after decades of hope in America that improved relations with China could assist the rising power become more open, in the current administration, it seems that the US is shifting in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or weaken the elite … similar to events in the country half a century ago.”

Since Trump initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the mobilisation of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit absent the same levels of violence.

But since the upheaval of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the US, which variously also feels familiar to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

The most profound parallel between Trump’s America and the East is the crackdown on open expression.

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP critic, found himself in a controversy this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. He has lived in the US for several years, having fled China due to pressure from the authorities.

In September, after the death of a public figure, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people nationwide – who lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives was doxed and he was accused of being a Chinese spy seeking to divide the US.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing would occur in America – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of social surveillance bears parallels with the East.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” said an academic, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something that you see in China today as too,” she added, stating that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against educators, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to America for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. But now, “America is no longer a ideal for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined generally.”

“We used to see America as the symbol of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, at least in private, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than the US's, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … but after the pandemic, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, seems to be declining.”

The government's purchase of stakes in American firms has prompted parallels with China, where the distinction between government and private industry is often blurred.

Recently, the US government stated it will take an investor in a new company focused on rare earth processing, following comparable shares in other companies deemed vital to the country's safety. The deals have made some investors concerned that America is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still major differences between the US under Trump and China. Last month, multiple media outlets including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on government-authorised news. American judiciary have halted or overturned many of presidential measures, an action that is unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain freer, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that although numerous scholars in the country were surprised to see American colleges yield to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. University leaders, who are selected by the state, “cannot refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, Americans are starting to take precautions previously associated with repressive regimes. An academic at a US university once vocal on US-China issues refused to speak for this piece. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad