The America During the New Administration Seems Strangely Familiar to Observers from China

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto the stage in the Big Apple, she's not only considering which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly attacking the government,” she explained. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't captured for social media. “I would never publicly share material in which I directly criticize authorities … I think it's a habit from China.”

Wang, 39, resided in Shanghai for almost ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. When she got there, she dove into a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and delving into New York’s public library.

But in the year since the president was elected for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the environment, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, whereas in the US I find myself on shifting sands.”

Her fears mirror a new political reality in America which many Chinese, or people who have lived in the country, perceive as eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader demands total allegiance. Reporters are targeted. Establishments are attacked.

Trump has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in the US that closer ties with the East may help the growing nation become more open, in the current administration, it seems that America is shifting in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is attempting to mobilise the masses to marginalize or weaken established figures … similar to what happened in the country decades past.”

Ever since Trump initiated the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the mobilisation of young people to carry out presidential directives, or purging institutions of those deemed opposition, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit absent equivalent degrees of violence.

However after the upheaval of the initial period under Trump subsided, a new, distinct type of political atmosphere has emerged in the US, which in different ways also feels familiar to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

The deepest parallel between Trump’s America and China is the crackdown on open expression.

A former police officer, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in the eye of a storm recently, similar to what he once faced in his homeland. He has lived in the US since 2019, having fled China because of harassment from officials.

In September, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Similar to others nationwide – many of whom were fired for making negative comments about Kirk – he encountered significant backlash. Relatives was doxed and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy seeking to divide the US.

“That event surprised me deeply. I hadn't thought that something like this would occur in the United States – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

His pile on originated from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of social surveillance bears similarities with China.

“In terms of targeting dissenters and starting to surveil public speech about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “This is that you see in the East today as too,” she said, stating that there were now fears in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a type of surveillance promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to the US for ideals, in part because public debate on domestic politics in China is risky. But now, “America is no longer some kind of god for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has declined generally.”

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

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about China’s political system, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but after the pandemic, the government appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and developing electric cars and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the distinction between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, authorities announced it would become a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, following similar stakes in other companies it considers essential for the country's safety. The deals have left some investors concerned that America is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between Trump’s America and China. Last month, multiple media outlets among others declined to agree to a defense department rule that demanded reporting solely on government-authorised news. US courts have halted or overturned many of Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, commented: “The United States might face the worst crisis of all time, 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 although numerous scholars in China were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, who are selected by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously confined to repressive regimes. An academic at a US university once vocal on US-China issues declined to speak for this article. He said: “Honestly, I fear of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad