Trump's America During the New Administration Seems Strangely Recognizable to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, steps onto her platform in the Big Apple, she is not just considering which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she weighs which topics to avoid. “I refrain from openly attacking the government,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it's not captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share material where I directly criticize authorities … I believe it's a habit from China.”

The comedian, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to the US. Upon arrival, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on democracy,” attending talks, protests, and delving into New York’s library system.

However over the past year since Donald Trump returned to office again, there has been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “Back home, I knew where the line was, whereas here I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Her fears mirror a new political reality in the US which numerous individuals from China, or people with experience in the country, find eerily familiar. Opponents face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Reporters are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has not been shy about his admiration for China's leader, China’s strongman leader. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in the trade war recently, the camaraderie between both figures of nations with diametrically opposed political systems became clear. Following years of optimism in America that closer ties with China may help the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it appears as if America is shifting in China's path, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is experiencing a period of societal upheaval,” stated a constitutional law expert, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is trying to rally the grassroots in order to sideline or weaken the elite … similar to what happened in the country decades past.”

Ever since the administration unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start of his term, numerous Chinese observers have viewed American governance via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or purging organizations of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit without the same levels of violence.

However since the upheaval of the early months of the new administration has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to many Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Dimmer’

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

A former police officer, now a CCP dissenter, ended up in a controversy recently, similar to what he once faced in his homeland. He resided in America since 2019, after escaping the country because of pressure from officials.

Last fall, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Like people across the US – who lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy attempting to divide the US.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined such a thing could happen in the United States – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

Deng’s pile on originated from online peers, instead of the state, but such of social surveillance bears similarities with China.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and monitoring public speech on topics that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” noted Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “That’s something that you see in the East now as well,” she said, adding that there were now fears in America of students reporting on educators, a type of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, said that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to the US for ideals, since openly discussing internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US isn't a god for progressive Chinese. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We once viewed the US as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, this lighthouse seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about China’s political system, now perceive it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this reality … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing the right thing in environmental protection and developing electric cars and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by America, appear in decline.”

The government's purchase of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the line between government and private industry is often blurred.

Recently, the US government announced it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, after taking similar stakes in additional firms it considers vital to national security. These moves have made certain stakeholders concerned that the US is embarking on a fresh phase of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between the US under Trump and China. Last month, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a defense department rule that required they only report on approved information. American judiciary have blocked or reversed numerous presidential measures, something that would be impossible in China’s CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America could descend into the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang observes that although numerous scholars in China were shocked to see US universities capitulate to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, who are appointed by the state, “cannot of saying no. They dare not defy orders.”

Nevertheless, Americans are starting to adopt measures that were once associated with repressive regimes. An academic at a US university once outspoken on US-China issues refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad