The America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Strangely Recognizable to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she's not just thinking about what humor to deliver. She also weighs which topics to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly attacking the government,” she explained. And when she does, she makes certain it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly material where I directly criticize authorities … I think this is a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for almost ten years, leaving in that year. By 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she dove into a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on freedom,” going to talks, demonstrations, and delving into the city's public library.

But over the past year after the president was elected again, there's been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I knew where the line was, while here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears reflect an emerging climate in America which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in China, perceive as eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The president expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called him as “fantastic”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with diametrically opposed governance models became clear. Following years of optimism in America that closer ties with China may help the growing nation become more open, under Trump 2.0, it seems as if America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than the other way around.

“America is experiencing a period of cultural revolution,” stated a constitutional law expert, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is attempting to rally the grassroots in order to marginalize or weaken established figures … similar to what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Since Trump initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, many in China have viewed American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of the youth to execute presidential directives, or purging institutions of those deemed opposition, the president as viewed from China has delivered Mao-style chaos to the US, though absent the same levels of force.

However since the upheaval of the initial period of the new administration has calmed, an unfamiliar, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which variously seems familiar to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Dimmer’

The deepest parallel between Trump’s America and China is the crackdown on free speech.

A former police officer, turned CCP critic, ended up in a controversy this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. He has lived in America for several years, having fled the country because of pressure from officials.

In September, after the death of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – who were fired for expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives was doxed and he was accused of espionage attempting to divide the US.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined such a thing could happen in the United States – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His backlash came from online peers, rather than the government, but such of public monitoring bears parallels with the East.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil public speech on topics that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” noted Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “That’s something that you see in China now as well,” she added, stating that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against teachers, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to the US for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in China is risky. However, “America isn't some kind of 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, this lighthouse appears less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities 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 the United States, appear in decline.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in American firms has also drawn parallels with the East, where the line between state and business is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities stated it will take an investor in a startup focused on rare earth processing, after taking similar stakes in additional firms it considers essential for the country's safety. These moves have left some investors nervous that the US is entering a new era of state intervention in private industry.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between Trump’s America and China. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that demanded reporting solely on approved information. American judiciary have halted or reversed many of presidential measures, an action that is impossible in the nation's CCP-controlled judiciary.

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

Zhang notes that while numerous scholars in China were surprised to see US universities capitulate to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. Administrators, which are appointed by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions previously associated with repressive regimes. One professor at an American college who was previously vocal on US-China issues declined to be interviewed for this piece. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression here: I actually feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad