The United States Under Trump's Second Term Seems Oddly Recognizable to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto her platform in New York, she is not only thinking about what humor to deliver. She also carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I don't engage in directly attacking the administration,” she explained. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly material in which I directly criticize the government … I believe it's a habit from China.”

Wang, thirty-nine, lived in the Chinese metropolis for almost ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to the US. When she got there, she embarked on an intense period of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s library system.

However in the year since Donald Trump was elected again, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I understood the boundaries, whereas in the US I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns reflect a new political reality in America which many Chinese, or those with experience in the country, find eerily similar. Enemies face exclusion. The leader expects total allegiance. Reporters are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He has described Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of optimism in America that closer ties with China may help the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears as if America is being pulled in China's path, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing an era of societal upheaval,” stated a constitutional law expert, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the masses in order to sideline or undermine established figures … reminiscent of events in the country half a century ago.”

Since the administration unleashed what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on the Washington bureaucracy early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Whether it is the rallying of young people to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president as viewed from China has brought Mao-style chaos to the US, though absent the same levels of violence.

But since the turmoil of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has settled in the country, which variously also feels familiar to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Is Less Bright’

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

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in a controversy recently, the likes of which he once faced in China. He resided in America for several years, having fled China because of pressure from officials.

Last fall, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others nationwide – who were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. Relatives was doxed and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing could happen in America – what typically happens in a repressive state,” he commented.

His backlash originated from online peers, rather than the state, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with the East.

“Regarding targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “This is observed in China now as too,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in America of pupils informing against teachers, a type of surveillance that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to America for political inspiration, since public debate on internal affairs in China is risky. However, “The US is no longer some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined across the board.”

“We used to see the US as the symbol of democratic governance, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, at least in private, critical of the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, the government seems to be doing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, as represented by the United States, seems to be declining.”

The government's acquisition of stakes in US companies has also drawn comparisons with China, where the distinction between state and business is often blurred.

Recently, the US government announced it would become a shareholder in a new company specialising in rare earth processing, after taking comparable shares in additional firms it considers essential for national security. These moves have made some investors nervous 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, 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 halted or reversed numerous Trump’s actions, something that would be unthinkable in the nation's party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain freer, open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang observes that while numerous scholars in China were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are all state-owned by default. Administrators, which are selected by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously confined to repressive regimes. One professor at a US university once vocal on US-China issues declined to speak for this article. He said: “Honestly, I fear of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad