The America During Trump's Second Term Feels Strangely Familiar to Observers from China

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes the stage in New York, she's not only thinking about which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I refrain from openly attacking the government,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she ensures it isn't captured for social media. “I would never publish openly material in which I directly criticize the government … I think it's a habit from China.”

Wang, thirty-nine, resided in the Chinese metropolis for almost ten years, leaving in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending lectures, protests, and delving into New York’s library system.

However over the past year since the president returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the environment, she notes. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, whereas in the US I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears reflect an emerging climate in the US which numerous individuals from China, or people with experience in China, perceive as eerily familiar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has openly expressed about his admiration for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war on Thursday, the bonhomie between both figures of nations with diametrically opposed political systems was evident. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with China may help the growing nation become more open, in the current administration, it appears as if the US is shifting in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing an era of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is trying to rally the grassroots to sideline or weaken the elite … similar to what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers have viewed American governance through the lens of China's historical period. Whether it is the mobilisation of the youth to carry out the leader’s will, or cleansing institutions of perceived enemies, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit without the same levels of violence.

However since the upheaval of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways also feels familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Has Become Dimmer’

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

A former police officer, turned CCP critic, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he once faced in China. He has lived in America since 2019, having fled China due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – who were fired for making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of being a Chinese spy attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this would occur in the United States – what typically happens in a repressive state,” he commented.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, rather than the government, but that kind of social surveillance also has similarities with China.

“Regarding going after dissenters and starting to surveil open discourse on topics that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something observed in China now as well,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a form of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to America for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. But now, “America is no longer some kind of god for progressive Chinese. America’s image has declined across the board.”

“We used to see America as the symbol of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, that guide seems to have become less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing the right thing in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, as represented by the United States, appear in decline.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of shares in American firms has also drawn comparisons with China, where the line between government and private industry is often blurred.

Recently, the US government stated it would become an investor in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, following comparable shares in other companies deemed vital to national security. These moves have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is embarking on a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. In October, several news organisations among others refused to sign to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on approved information. American judiciary have blocked or overturned numerous presidential measures, something that would be unthinkable in the nation's party-dominated legal system.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “The United States might face its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang notes that although numerous scholars in the country were shocked to see US universities capitulate to government demands regarding DEI policies and open discourse on campus, in China, the top universities are all state-owned by default. University leaders, which are selected by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are beginning to adopt measures previously associated with repressive regimes. An academic at a US university once vocal on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this article. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad