Trump's United States During the New Administration Feels Oddly Familiar to Those Watching from China

When the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she's not just thinking about what humor to tell. She also weighs which topics to avoid. “I refrain from directly criticizing the administration,” she explained. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it isn't recorded for social media. “I would never publicly share material in which I openly disparage authorities … I believe it's a learned behavior from China.”

Wang, thirty-nine, lived in Shanghai for almost ten years, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. Upon arrival, she dove into a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, demonstrations, and exploring New York’s library system.

But over the past year since Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns reflect an emerging political reality in the US which many Chinese, or those with experience in China, perceive as eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Reporters are targeted. Establishments are attacked.

The president has not been shy about his admiration for Xi Jinping, China’s authoritarian figure. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with diametrically opposed political systems was evident. And after decades of hope in America that closer ties with China could assist the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems as if America is being pulled in China's path, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is undergoing an era of cultural revolution,” said Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is trying to rally the masses in order to sideline or weaken the elite … reminiscent of what happened in the country decades past.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, many in China see US politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out the leader’s will, or cleansing institutions of perceived enemies, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, though absent the same levels of violence.

However after the upheaval of the early months under Trump subsided, an unfamiliar, distinct type of climate has settled in the US, which variously also feels familiar to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

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

A former police officer, now a CCP critic, found himself in a controversy recently, similar to what he once faced in his homeland. Deng resided in the US since 2019, after escaping China due to harassment from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – who lost their jobs as a result of expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy attempting to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this could happen in America – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His pile on originated from online peers, rather than the state, but that kind of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and monitoring public speech on topics deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “This is observed in China today as well,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a form of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself used to look to the US for ideals, in part because public debate on domestic politics in the country is risky. But now, “America is no longer some kind of god for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We once viewed America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, this lighthouse appears less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of difficult to acknowledge this … but post-COVID, 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 America, seems to be in decline.”

The government's acquisition of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the line between government and private industry is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities announced it would become an investor in a new company focused on rare earth processing, following similar stakes in additional firms it considers essential for the country's safety. The deals have left certain stakeholders concerned that America is entering a fresh phase of state intervention in the private sector.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, several news organisations among others declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that demanded they only report on approved news. US courts have halted or overturned numerous presidential measures, something that would be unthinkable in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States might face its gravest challenge of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than it is now, and it will still be more free, open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that while many intellectuals in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. University leaders, which are selected by the government, “cannot of saying no. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Nevertheless, Americans are beginning to adopt measures previously associated with more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university once outspoken on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship here: I genuinely feel less afraid criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad