The America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Strangely Familiar to Observers from China

As the standup comedian, an emerging performer, takes the stage in New York, she's not just considering what humor to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I refrain from openly criticizing the administration,” she stated. Or if she does, she makes certain it's not recorded for online platforms. “I would never publicly share material in which I directly criticize the government … I believe this is a habit from China.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, lived in Shanghai for nearly ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to the US. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” going to talks, demonstrations, and exploring the city's library system.

However over the past year after the president was elected again, there's been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, while in the US I find myself on unstable ground.”

Her concerns reflect a new political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or people who have lived in the country, find eerily familiar. Enemies face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Institutions are attacked.

Trump has openly expressed about his admiration for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called him as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in the US that improved relations with the East could assist the growing nation become more open, in the current administration, it seems that America is shifting in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is experiencing a period of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is attempting to rally the masses in order to marginalize or undermine established figures … similar to events in the country decades past.”

Ever since Trump initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, many in China have viewed US politics via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the mobilisation of the youth to execute the leader’s will, or purging institutions of perceived enemies, the president as viewed from China has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, albeit without equivalent degrees of force.

But after the turmoil of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, distinct type of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which in different ways also feels familiar to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

The deepest similarity between the US today and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, turned CCP critic, found himself in the eye of a storm recently, the likes of which he once faced in China. He resided in the US since 2019, having fled China because of pressure from officials.

In September, after the death of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people across the US – many of whom were fired for expressing criticism regarding him – he encountered a huge backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of espionage seeking to create division.

“That event surprised me deeply. I hadn't thought such a thing could happen in America – something that should only happen in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, instead of the state, but such of public monitoring also has similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and monitoring open discourse on topics that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” noted an academic, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “That’s something that you see in the East now as well,” she added, stating that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on teachers, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself once turned to America for ideals, in part because openly discussing domestic politics in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US is no longer some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has worsened across the board.”

“We once viewed the US as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become less luminous”.

Progressive Chinese, who are often, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, authorities appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in US companies has also drawn parallels with China, where the line between government and business is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government announced it would become a shareholder in a new company focused on mineral refinement, after taking comparable shares in additional firms it considers vital to the country's safety. These moves have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is entering a new era of government meddling in private industry.

There are still significant distinctions between Trump’s America and China. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on approved information. American judiciary have halted or overturned many of presidential measures, something that is unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of its history, orders of magnitudes worse than it is now, and it will still be more free, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang notes that while many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see American colleges yield to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, which are appointed by the state, “cannot refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, Americans are beginning to take precautions previously confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at a US university once vocal on bilateral matters declined to be interviewed for this article. He said: “Honestly, I fear of suppression here: I actually feel more comfortable to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad