Trump's United States Under Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from the East

As the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she's not just thinking about what humor to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I refrain from directly attacking the administration,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I would never publish openly content in which I openly disparage the government … I believe it's a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, lived in the Chinese metropolis for almost ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. When she got there, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on freedom,” attending lectures, protests, and exploring the city's library system.

However in the year since Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, 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 an emerging political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in the country, perceive as disturbingly similar. Enemies face exclusion. The president expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has not been shy about his admiration for Xi Jinping, 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 countries with diametrically opposed governance models became clear. Following years of optimism in the US that improved relations with the East could assist the growing nation become more open, under Trump 2.0, it seems that the US is shifting in the Chinese direction, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is experiencing an era of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Trump, is trying to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or undermine established figures … similar to events in China half a century ago.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of perceived enemies, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, albeit absent the same levels of force.

But after the turmoil of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, distinct type of political atmosphere has settled in the US, which variously also feels familiar to many Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Less Bright’

The most profound parallel between the US today and the East is the crackdown on open expression.

Deng Haiyan, turned Chinese Communist party dissenter, ended up in a controversy this year, similar to what he once faced in his homeland. Deng resided in America since 2019, having fled the country because of harassment from officials.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that the individual was “despicable”. Like people across the US – who lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. Relatives was doxed and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to divide the US.

“That event was a real shock. I hadn't thought that something like this could happen in the United States – something that typically happens in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His pile on came from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of public monitoring also has parallels with the East.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil public speech on topics deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “This is observed in the East now as too,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a form of surveillance promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the legal expert, explained that progressive thinkers like himself once turned to America for political inspiration, since openly discussing domestic politics in the country is risky. However, “America isn't a ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has declined generally.”

“We used to see the US as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, that guide appears dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, at least in private, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it less objectionable than the US's, Zhang said. “It's somewhat painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in environmental protection and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, appear declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in American firms has prompted parallels with China, where the distinction between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities stated it will take a shareholder in a new company focused on mineral refinement, after taking similar stakes in other companies deemed essential for the country's safety. These moves have made certain stakeholders nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of government meddling in private industry.

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 required they only report on government-authorised news. US courts have blocked or overturned numerous presidential measures, something that is unthinkable in the nation's CCP-controlled judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, the founder of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “The United States might face its gravest challenge of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it will still be freer, open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that although numerous scholars in the country were shocked to see US universities yield to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on university grounds, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. Administrators, who are appointed by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, people in the US are starting to adopt measures that were once associated with repressive regimes. One professor at an American college once vocal on US-China issues refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad