The United States Under Trump's Second Term Feels Oddly Recognizable to Observers from China

When Vickie Wang, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto her platform in New York, she is not just considering which jokes to deliver. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly criticizing the administration,” she stated. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't captured for online platforms. “I would never publish openly material where I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a habit from China.”

Wang, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for almost a decade, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. Upon arrival, she dove into a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” going to talks, protests, and exploring the city's library system.

However in the year since the president was elected again, there's been a “palpable change” in the environment, she says. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, while in the US I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns mirror an emerging political reality in the US which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in China, find disturbingly familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Reporters are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, China’s authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. When they reached a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with vastly different political systems became clear. Following years of hope in the US that improved relations with the East may help the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems as if America is shifting in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“America is experiencing an era of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is attempting to rally the masses to sideline or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in China decades past.”

Since the administration unleashed the so-called a government streamlining body, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers see US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered Mao-style chaos to America, albeit absent equivalent degrees of force.

However since the upheaval of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which in different ways seems familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Less Bright’

The most profound parallel between the US today and China is the suppression on free speech.

A former police officer, turned CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy recently, similar to what he once faced in China. Deng resided in the US for several years, after escaping China due to pressure from the authorities.

In September, after the death of a public figure, he posted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Similar to others nationwide – who lost their jobs as a result of making negative comments regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy seeking to create division.

“That event surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this would occur in America – what typically happens in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s pile on came from fellow social media users, instead of the government, but such of social surveillance bears similarities with China.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and starting to surveil public speech on topics that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something that you see in the East today as well,” she added, stating that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a type of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

The professor, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers such as him used to look to the US for ideals, in part because openly discussing domestic politics in China is dangerous. But now, “America isn't some kind of ideal for progressive Chinese. The US's reputation has declined generally.”

“We once viewed America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, that guide appears less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this … but after the pandemic, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, appear in decline.”

The government's acquisition of shares in American firms has prompted parallels with the East, where the line between government and business is frequently unclear.

On Monday, the US government stated it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, after taking similar stakes in other companies it considers essential for national security. The deals have made some investors concerned that the US is embarking on a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required reporting solely on government-authorised information. US courts have blocked or overturned many of Trump’s actions, an action that is impossible in the nation's party-dominated legal system.

An analyst, who established of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “America might face its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor observes that while many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see US universities yield to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on campus, in the East, leading institutions are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, who are appointed by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are beginning to adopt measures previously confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university once outspoken on US-China issues declined to speak for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I fear of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad