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

As the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not just considering which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she weighs what subjects to avoid. “I don't engage in openly criticizing the government,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she ensures it isn't recorded for online platforms. “I'd never publicly share content in which I openly disparage the government … I think it's a learned behavior from China.”

Wang, 39, lived in the Chinese metropolis for almost ten years, departing in that year. By 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she dove into a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on freedom,” attending lectures, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s library system.

However in the year since the president returned to office for the second time, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “In China, I understood where the line was, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns reflect an emerging climate in the US which numerous individuals from China, or people who have lived in China, perceive as eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The leader demands total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Institutions come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called him as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with diametrically opposed governance models was evident. And after decades of hope in America that closer ties with China may help the growing nation to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it seems as if the US is being pulled in the Chinese direction, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses in order to sideline or weaken the elite … similar to events in the country decades past.”

Since Trump initiated the so-called a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the mobilisation of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, though without the same levels of force.

However after the turmoil of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, distinct type of climate has settled in the country, which in different ways also feels recognizable to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Is Dimmer’

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

A former police officer, turned Chinese Communist party dissenter, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he once faced in China. Deng has lived in America since 2019, after escaping the country due to harassment from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, Deng tweeted that the individual was “despicable”. Like people nationwide – who lost their jobs for making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this could happen in America – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

Deng’s backlash originated from online peers, instead of the government, but such of public monitoring bears parallels with China.

“Regarding targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” noted an academic, an associate professor at a US university. “This is that you see in China now as well,” she said, adding that there were now fears in the US of pupils informing against educators, a type of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself used to look to America for ideals, in part because public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US isn't some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined across the board.”

“We once viewed the US as the symbol of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, this lighthouse appears less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, behind closed doors, critical of China’s political system, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities appears to be pursuing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, appear in decline.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in American firms has prompted parallels with the East, where the distinction between government and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government stated it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, following similar stakes in additional firms it considers essential for the country's safety. These moves have left some investors nervous that America is entering a fresh phase of state intervention in private industry.

There are still significant distinctions between the US under Trump and the East. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on approved news. US courts have blocked or reversed many of Trump’s actions, something that is unthinkable in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, commented: “America might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor observes that while many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in the East, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, which are selected by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, people in the US are beginning to take precautions that were once confined to repressive regimes. One professor at an American college who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters declined to speak for this piece. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad