Trump's America During Trump's Second Term Seems Oddly Recognizable to Those Watching from China

As Vickie Wang, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not just thinking about which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly criticizing the administration,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she ensures it's not recorded for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly content where I openly disparage the government … I think it's a habit acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, resided in Shanghai for almost ten years, leaving in that year. In 2025, she moved to America. Upon arrival, she dove into an intense period of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and exploring New York’s library system.

However in the year since Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the environment, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, whereas here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Her fears mirror a new climate in America which many Chinese, or those with experience in the country, perceive as eerily similar. Opponents face exclusion. The president expects total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He's called him as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of optimism in America 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 the Chinese direction, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is experiencing a period of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The president, Trump, is attempting to rally the masses to marginalize or weaken the elite … similar to what happened in China half a century ago.”

Since Trump unleashed what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on federal institutions early on in office, many in China have viewed US politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the rallying of the youth to execute presidential directives, or cleansing organizations of perceived enemies, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered Mao-style chaos to America, though without equivalent degrees of violence.

However since the turmoil of the initial period under Trump subsided, an unfamiliar, distinct type of political atmosphere has emerged in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

The deepest parallel between the US today and China is the suppression on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, turned Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he once faced in his homeland. He resided in America since 2019, having fled the country due to harassment from the authorities.

In September, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Similar to others nationwide – who lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to divide the US.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing could happen in the United States – what should only happen in a repressive state,” he commented.

His pile on came from online peers, rather than the state, but that kind of public monitoring bears similarities with China.

“In terms of going after those who disagree and monitoring public speech about issues that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something that you see in China today as well,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a type of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

The professor, the legal expert, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself used to look to America for political inspiration, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. However, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We once viewed the US as the symbol of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it less objectionable than the US's, Zhang said. “It’s sort of painful to accept this … but post-COVID, authorities appears to be pursuing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by America, seems to be in decline.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in American firms has also drawn parallels with China, where the distinction between state and business is often blurred.

Recently, authorities stated it would become an investor in a startup focused on rare earth processing, following comparable shares in additional firms deemed vital to national security. The deals have made certain stakeholders concerned that America is entering a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still major differences between the US under Trump and China. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that demanded they only report on approved news. American judiciary have halted or overturned numerous Trump’s actions, an action that is unthinkable in the nation's CCP-controlled judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “America might face the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than it is now, and it would remain freer, open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang observes that although numerous scholars in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to government demands concerning DEI policies and free speech on university grounds, in China, leading institutions are publicly controlled by default. Administrators, which are appointed by the government, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are beginning to take precautions previously confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college who was previously outspoken on US-China issues declined to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression in the US: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad