Trump's United States Under the New Administration Feels Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from the East

As Vickie Wang, a rising performer, takes the stage in New York, she's not only thinking about what humor to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers what subjects to avoid. “I refrain from directly attacking the government,” she explained. And when she does, she ensures it's not recorded for social media. “I'd never publish openly material where I openly disparage authorities … I believe this is a learned behavior from China.”

Wang, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for almost a decade, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on democracy,” attending lectures, demonstrations, and delving into the city's public library.

However over the past year since the president was elected again, there's been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns mirror a new climate in America which many Chinese, or people with experience in the country, perceive as disturbingly similar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Journalists are targeted. Institutions come under fire.

The president has not been shy about his admiration for China's leader, China’s authoritarian figure. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the bonhomie between both figures of nations with diametrically opposed political systems became clear. Following years of hope in the US that improved relations with China could assist the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears as if America is shifting in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is experiencing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is trying to rally the grassroots in order to marginalize or weaken established figures … reminiscent of events in China decades past.”

Ever since Trump initiated the so-called a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers see American governance through the lens of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought Mao-style chaos to the US, albeit without the same levels of force.

But after the upheaval of the initial period of the new administration subsided, an unfamiliar, distinct type of climate has emerged in the country, which variously also feels recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

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

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP critic, found himself in a controversy recently, similar to what he once faced in China. He has lived in America for several years, after escaping the country due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Similar to others across the US – many of whom were fired for making negative comments regarding him – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of espionage seeking to divide the US.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this would occur in the United States – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, instead of the government, but that kind of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“Regarding targeting dissenters and starting to surveil public speech on topics that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” said Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something that you see in the East now as well,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a form 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 political inspiration, since public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. However, “America isn't some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined across the board.”

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

Progressive Chinese, who are often, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than America’s, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … 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, exemplified by America, seems to be in decline.”

The government's purchase of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the line between government and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, authorities stated it will take a shareholder in a new company specialising in mineral refinement, after taking similar stakes in other companies deemed vital to the country's safety. These moves have made some investors nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of state intervention in private industry.

There are still major differences between the US under Trump and China. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian declined to agree to a defense department rule that required they only report on government-authorised information. American judiciary have blocked or reversed numerous Trump’s actions, an action that would be unthinkable in the nation's party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, who established of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor observes that although numerous scholars in the country were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning DEI policies and free speech on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are all state-owned by default. Administrators, which are appointed by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions previously associated with more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college once outspoken on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship here: I actually feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad