The United States Under Trump's Second Term Feels Strangely Recognizable to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto her platform in New York, she's not just thinking about which jokes to deliver. She also weighs what subjects to avoid. “I refrain from openly attacking the government,” she explained. Or if she does, she makes certain it's not captured for online platforms. “I would never publicly share content in which I directly criticize authorities … I believe this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, lived in the Chinese metropolis for nearly a decade, departing in 2022. By 2025, she relocated to America. When she got there, she dove into an intense period of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s library system.

But over the past year after Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns reflect an emerging climate in the US which many Chinese, or those with experience in China, find eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The president demands total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called him as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in economic tensions recently, the bonhomie between both figures of countries with diametrically opposed political systems became clear. Following years of hope in America that closer ties with China may help the rising power become more open, in the current administration, it appears as if America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“America is experiencing an era of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses to marginalize or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Ever since Trump unleashed the so-called a government streamlining body, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy early on in office, many in China have viewed US politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the rallying of young people to execute the leader’s will, or cleansing organizations of perceived enemies, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without the same levels of violence.

But after the turmoil of the early months under Trump subsided, an unfamiliar, distinct type of climate has settled in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Less Bright’

The deepest parallel between the US today and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng has lived in America for several years, after escaping China due to pressure from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, Deng tweeted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Like people across the US – who were fired as a result of expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy seeking to divide the US.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing would occur in the United States – something that typically happens in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s pile on came from fellow social media users, instead of the government, but that kind of public monitoring bears similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after dissenters and monitoring public speech on topics that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” noted an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “This is observed in China today as well,” she said, adding that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself used to look to the US for ideals, in part because public debate on internal affairs in China is dangerous. But now, “America isn't a ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We used to see America as the symbol of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than America’s, Zhang said. “It's somewhat painful to accept this … but post-COVID, the government appears to be pursuing correct policies in environmental protection and developing electric cars and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, as represented by America, appear in decline.”

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

On Monday, the US government announced it will take an investor in a new company focused on mineral refinement, after taking similar stakes in other companies it considers vital to the country's safety. The deals have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of state intervention in the private sector.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and the East. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on approved news. US courts have blocked or reversed numerous Trump’s actions, something that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “The United States might face the worst crisis of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang notes that while many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to government demands concerning DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. Administrators, who are selected by the government, “cannot refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, Americans are starting to adopt measures that were once confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at a US university who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters declined to speak for this piece. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad