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

As the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she is not only considering what humor to deliver. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the government,” she explained. And when she ventures there, she ensures it's not recorded for social media. “I'd never publicly share content where I openly disparage the government … I believe this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

Wang, thirty-nine, lived in Shanghai for nearly ten years, leaving in 2022. By 2025, she relocated to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and exploring the city's public library.

But in the year after the president was elected again, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she notes. “In China, I knew the boundaries, while in the US I'm standing on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns reflect a new political reality in the US which many Chinese, or people with experience in the country, find disturbingly similar. Opponents face exclusion. The president expects absolute loyalty. Reporters are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, China’s authoritarian figure. He has described him as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in the trade war recently, the bonhomie between both figures of nations with vastly different political systems was evident. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with China may help the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems as if the US is shifting in the Chinese direction, instead of vice versa.

“America is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” stated a constitutional law expert, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Donald Trump, is attempting to rally the grassroots in order to marginalize or undermine the elite … reminiscent of what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Ever since Trump initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start of his term, many in China see US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of the youth to execute presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of those deemed opposition, the president as viewed from China has brought Mao-style chaos to the US, though without the same levels of force.

But since the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, distinct type of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which in different ways also feels recognizable to many Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

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

A former police officer, turned CCP dissenter, found himself in the eye of a storm recently, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in his homeland. Deng resided in America for several years, having fled the country because of pressure from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Like people nationwide – many of whom were fired as a result of expressing criticism about Kirk – he encountered a huge backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I hadn't thought such a thing would occur in America – something that should only happen in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, rather than the state, but such of social surveillance also has similarities with the East.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse on topics that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something observed in the East today as well,” she added, stating that there were now fears in America of students reporting on teachers, a form of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals such as him once turned to the US for political inspiration, in part because openly discussing domestic politics in the country is dangerous. But now, “America is no longer some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has worsened generally.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but post-COVID, the government seems to be doing the right thing in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, as represented by America, seems to be declining.”

The government's acquisition of shares in US companies has prompted parallels with the East, where the distinction between state and business is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities stated it will take an investor in a new company focused on rare earth processing, after taking comparable shares in additional firms deemed vital to national security. The deals have left certain stakeholders concerned that America is entering a new era of state intervention in the private sector.

There are still major differences between the US under Trump and China. In October, several news organisations among others declined to agree to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on approved information. US courts have blocked or overturned numerous presidential measures, an action that is impossible in the nation's party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of all time, far more severe than currently, and it would remain freer, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang observes that while numerous scholars in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on campus, in the East, leading institutions are all state-owned inherently. Administrators, who are selected by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They dare not defy orders.”

Still, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously associated with more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters declined to speak for this article. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad