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

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she's not only thinking about what humor to deliver. She also carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly attacking the administration,” she explained. Or if she ventures there, she ensures it's not captured for social media. “I would never publicly share material where I openly disparage the government … I think this is a learned behavior from China.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly ten years, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and delving into the city's public library.

However over the past year after the president returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the environment, she notes. “Back home, I knew where the line was, while here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears mirror an emerging political reality in the US which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in China, perceive as eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The president expects absolute loyalty. Journalists face scrutiny. Establishments are attacked.

Trump has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called him as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in the trade war on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different political systems became clear. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with China could assist the rising power become more open, in the current administration, it appears as if the US is shifting in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” stated a constitutional law expert, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Trump, is attempting to rally the masses to sideline or weaken established figures … reminiscent of events in the country decades past.”

Since the administration initiated the so-called a government streamlining body, or the agency, on the Washington bureaucracy early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of perceived enemies, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, albeit absent equivalent degrees of violence.

However since the turmoil of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, distinct type of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways also feels familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

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

A former police officer, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, the likes of which he once faced in China. Deng has lived in America since 2019, having fled the country because of harassment from officials.

In September, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others nationwide – many of whom were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives was doxed and he was accused of espionage seeking to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I hadn't thought such a thing could happen in America – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, instead of the government, but such of social surveillance bears similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after dissenters and monitoring public speech on topics deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge here,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “This is observed in China now as well,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on teachers, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers such as him used to look to the US for political inspiration, since openly discussing internal affairs in China is dangerous. However, “America isn't a ideal for progressive Chinese. America’s image has declined across the board.”

“We used to see the US as the beacon of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, that guide seems to have become less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, at least in private, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this … but after the pandemic, the government seems to be doing the right thing in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, seems to be in decline.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in American firms has prompted comparisons with the East, where the distinction between government and business is often blurred.

On Monday, authorities stated it will take an investor in a startup focused on rare earth processing, following similar stakes in additional firms deemed essential for the country's safety. These moves have left certain stakeholders concerned that the US is entering a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still significant distinctions between the US under Trump and China. Last month, multiple media outlets among others declined to agree to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on government-authorised information. US courts have blocked or overturned numerous presidential measures, an action that would be unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, who established of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “America might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than currently, and it will still be freer, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang notes that although numerous scholars in China were surprised to see US universities capitulate to government demands regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in China, leading institutions are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, who are appointed by the state, “cannot of saying no. They dare not defy orders.”

Still, people in the US are starting to take precautions that were once associated with repressive regimes. One professor at a US university who was previously vocal on bilateral matters declined to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad