Trump's America Under the New Administration Feels Oddly Familiar to Observers from China

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she's not just considering what humor to tell. She also weighs what subjects to steer clear of. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she stated. And when she does, she ensures it's not captured for online platforms. “I would never publicly share material where I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a habit acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on a frenzy of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” going to talks, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s library system.

But in the year since Donald Trump was elected again, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, while here I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Her fears mirror a new political reality in the US which many Chinese, or those with experience in China, perceive as eerily similar. Opponents face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Institutions come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between both figures of countries with vastly different governance models was evident. And after decades of optimism in the US that closer ties with China may help the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears that America is being pulled in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The president, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the masses to sideline or undermine the elite … similar to events in the country decades past.”

Since the administration unleashed the so-called a government streamlining body, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy at the start in office, many in China see US politics via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or purging organizations of perceived enemies, Trump as viewed from China has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without equivalent degrees of force.

But since the turmoil of the early months of the new administration has calmed, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the US, which variously seems recognizable to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between the US today and the East is the suppression on free speech.

A former police officer, now a CCP critic, ended up in the eye of a storm this year, similar to what he’d only previously experienced in his homeland. He resided in America for several years, having fled the country due to pressure from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, Deng tweeted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Like people nationwide – who were fired for making negative comments regarding him – he encountered significant backlash. His family was doxed and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I hadn't thought that something like this would occur in the United States – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

His backlash came from online peers, instead of the government, but such of public monitoring bears similarities with the East.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said an academic, an associate professor at a US university. “This is that you see in China today as well,” she said, adding that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a form of surveillance promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to the US for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in China is risky. But now, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has declined generally.”

“We once viewed the US as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse appears dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by America, appear in decline.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of shares in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the distinction between state and business is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government announced it will take a shareholder in a new company focused on mineral refinement, after taking comparable shares in additional firms deemed essential for the country's safety. The deals have left certain stakeholders concerned that the US is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required reporting solely on approved news. American judiciary have blocked or overturned many of Trump’s actions, something that is unthinkable in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America might face the worst crisis of its history, orders of magnitudes worse than it is now, and it will still be more free, open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that while numerous scholars in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. University leaders, who are selected by the government, “cannot refuse. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions that were once confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at a US university who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters refused to speak for this article. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad