The America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Strangely Familiar to Those Watching from the East

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, takes her platform in the Big Apple, she is not only thinking about what humor to deliver. She also weighs which topics to avoid. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the government,” she stated. Or if she does, she ensures it's not recorded for social media. “I would never publicly share material where I directly criticize the government … I believe this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for almost ten years, leaving in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. Upon arrival, she dove into a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” attending talks, demonstrations, and delving into the city's public library.

However over the past year since Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there's been a “palpable change” in the environment, she says. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, while here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Her fears mirror an emerging climate in the US which many Chinese, or people with experience in the country, find eerily similar. Enemies face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He has described Xi as a “great guy”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the bonhomie between both figures of countries with vastly different political systems became clear. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with China could assist the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it appears that America is being pulled in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“America is experiencing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is trying to rally the masses to sideline or undermine established figures … similar to what happened in China half a century ago.”

Ever since the administration unleashed what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions early on of his term, many in China see American governance through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought Mao-style chaos to the US, though absent equivalent degrees of violence.

However since the turmoil of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, distinct type of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between the US today and China is the suppression on open expression.

A former police officer, turned CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy recently, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng resided in the US since 2019, having fled the country because of harassment from the authorities.

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

“This incident was a real shock. I hadn't thought such a thing could happen in the United States – something that typically happens in a repressive state,” Deng said.

His pile on came from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and monitoring public speech about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing in the US,” said an academic, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something observed in China now as too,” she said, adding that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against educators, a type of surveillance that has been encouraged by the CCP.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, said that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to America for ideals, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is risky. However, “America isn't some kind of god for progressive Chinese. America’s image has worsened generally.”

“We once viewed the US as the symbol of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … but after the pandemic, the government appears to be pursuing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, as represented by America, appear declining.”

The government's purchase of shares in American firms has prompted parallels with China, where the line between government and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, the US government announced it would become an investor in a new company specialising in rare earth processing, after taking comparable shares in additional firms deemed vital to national security. These moves have made certain stakeholders concerned that America is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on approved information. American judiciary have halted or reversed many of Trump’s actions, an action that would be unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than currently, and it will still be freer, more open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that although numerous scholars in the country were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to government demands regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in the East, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. Administrators, who are appointed by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are beginning to adopt measures that were once associated with repressive regimes. One professor at an American college once outspoken on bilateral matters declined to be interviewed for this article. He stated: “Honestly, I fear of suppression here: I genuinely feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad