The America During Trump's Second Term Feels Strangely Familiar to Observers from China

As the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto her platform in the Big Apple, she's not only thinking about which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly attacking the government,” she explained. And when she ventures there, she ensures it's not captured for social media. “I would never publish openly content where I directly criticize the government … I believe it's a habit from China.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, lived in the Chinese metropolis for nearly ten years, leaving in that year. In 2025, she moved to the US. Upon arrival, she embarked on an intense period of “overindulging on freedom,” going to talks, protests, and exploring the city's library system.

However in the year since Donald Trump was elected again, there has been a noticeable shift in the environment, she says. “In China, I understood the boundaries, while here I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Her fears reflect an emerging climate in the US which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in the country, find eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Reporters are targeted. Institutions come under fire.

Trump has not been shy about his admiration for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called him as a “great guy”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in America that improved relations with China could assist the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it appears that America is shifting in China's path, instead of the other way around.

“America is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” said a constitutional law expert, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to rally the masses in order to sideline or undermine the elite … reminiscent of events in the country half a century ago.”

Since Trump initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed American governance via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought Mao-style chaos to America, though absent the same levels of force.

However after the turmoil of the initial period under Trump subsided, a new, distinct type of political atmosphere has emerged in the US, which variously also feels familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

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

Deng Haiyan, turned Chinese Communist party critic, ended up in a controversy this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. He resided in America for several years, after escaping China because of pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Similar to others across the US – who were fired for making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy seeking to divide the US.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined such a thing would occur in America – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His backlash originated from online peers, instead of the state, but that kind of public monitoring bears similarities with China.

“Regarding going after dissenters and monitoring open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” noted an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “That’s something observed in China today as well,” she added, stating that there were now fears in the US of students reporting on educators, a form of monitoring that has been encouraged by the CCP.

The professor, the legal expert, explained that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to America for political inspiration, since openly discussing internal affairs in the country is risky. But now, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined across the board.”

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

Progressive Chinese, who are often, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … but after the pandemic, the government appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and promoting EVs and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, as represented by America, appear declining.”

The government's purchase of stakes in US companies has also drawn comparisons with China, where the distinction between government and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government stated it will take a shareholder in a new company focused on mineral refinement, after taking comparable shares in other companies deemed vital to the country's safety. These moves have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is entering a new era of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between the US under Trump and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that demanded reporting solely on approved information. US courts have blocked or overturned numerous Trump’s actions, something that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that while many intellectuals in the country were surprised to see US universities capitulate to government demands regarding DEI policies and free speech on campus, in China, leading institutions are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, who are selected by the state, “have no liberty of saying no. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions previously confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at an American college once outspoken on bilateral matters refused to speak for this piece. He stated: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression here: I genuinely feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad