Trump's America Under the New Administration Feels Oddly Familiar to Those Watching from the East

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she is not only thinking about what humor to tell. Additionally, she weighs what subjects to avoid. “I refrain from openly criticizing the government,” she explained. And when she does, she ensures it isn't captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share content in which I openly disparage the government … I believe it's a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, lived in Shanghai for almost a decade, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to the US. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, demonstrations, and exploring New York’s library system.

However over the past year since the president was elected for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I knew where the line was, while in the US I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Her concerns reflect an emerging political reality in America which many Chinese, or those who have lived in China, perceive as eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The president expects absolute loyalty. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He has described him as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different political systems was evident. Following years of optimism in America that closer ties with China could assist the rising power become more open, under Trump 2.0, it appears as if the US is shifting in China's path, rather than the other way around.

“The United States is undergoing an era of societal upheaval,” stated a constitutional law expert, a professor at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is attempting to rally the grassroots in order to sideline or weaken established figures … reminiscent of what happened in the country decades past.”

Since Trump initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy early on of his term, many in China see American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or purging institutions of those deemed opposition, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit without the same levels of force.

But since the upheaval of the early months under Trump subsided, a new, distinct type of climate has emerged in the US, which variously also feels recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Less Bright’

The deepest parallel between Trump’s America and the East is the suppression on open expression.

A former police officer, turned CCP critic, ended up in a controversy this year, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng has lived in America since 2019, having fled the country due to harassment from the authorities.

In September, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Like people across the US – many of whom lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – he encountered a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy attempting to divide the US.

“That event surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this could happen in America – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash came from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of public monitoring also has similarities with the East.

“Regarding targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil public speech about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” said an academic, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something that you see in the East now as well,” she added, adding that there were now fears in America of students reporting on educators, a type of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to America for ideals, in part because openly discussing internal affairs in China is risky. However, “The US is no longer a god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has worsened generally.”

“We once viewed America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, this lighthouse seems to have become less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing the right thing in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

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

Recently, the US government stated it would become an investor in a startup focused on mineral refinement, after taking comparable shares in other companies deemed essential for the country's safety. The deals have made some investors concerned that the US is embarking on a fresh phase of state intervention in the private sector.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that required they only report on government-authorised information. American judiciary have halted or overturned numerous presidential measures, something that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America could descend into the worst crisis of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than it is now, and it would remain more free, more open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor observes that while many intellectuals in the country 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 publicly controlled by default. University leaders, who are selected by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They dare not defy orders.”

Still, Americans are starting to take precautions previously confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college once vocal on bilateral matters declined to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship here: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad