The United States Under the New Administration Feels Oddly Familiar to Those Watching from China

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she's not only thinking about what humor to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I refrain from openly attacking the administration,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she ensures it's not captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share content where I openly disparage authorities … I believe this is a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, resided in Shanghai for nearly ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on an intense period of “revenge bingeing on freedom,” going to lectures, protests, and exploring New York’s public library.

However over the past year since Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there's been a noticeable shift in the environment, she says. “In China, I knew the boundaries, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Her fears mirror an emerging political reality in America which many Chinese, or people who have lived in the country, find eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracised. The president expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, China’s strongman leader. He has described him as a “great guy”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in the trade war on Thursday, the camaraderie between the two leaders of countries with vastly different governance models became clear. Following years of optimism in America that improved relations with the East may help the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it seems that America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than the other way around.

“America is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” said Zhang Qianfan, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the grassroots to marginalize or undermine established figures … reminiscent of what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Ever since the administration unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy early on of his term, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or purging institutions of perceived enemies, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though without equivalent degrees of violence.

However since the turmoil of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the US, which in different ways seems recognizable to many Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

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

Deng Haiyan, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy this year, the likes of which he once faced in China. He has lived in America since 2019, having fled China due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Similar to others across the US – who were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – he encountered a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I hadn't thought such a thing could happen in the United States – something that should only happen in a repressive state,” he commented.

His backlash originated from online peers, instead of the government, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with the East.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something that you see in China today as well,” she added, adding that there were now fears in the US of students reporting on teachers, a form of monitoring that has been encouraged by the CCP.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to the US for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. However, “The US isn't some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened generally.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of democratic governance, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it less objectionable than the US's, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … but post-COVID, authorities appears to be pursuing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “Western nations, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of stakes in American firms has prompted parallels with the East, where the line between state and business is often blurred.

Recently, authorities stated it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, after taking similar stakes in other companies deemed essential for the country's safety. The deals have left some investors nervous that the US is embarking on a fresh phase of state intervention in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and the East. In October, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that demanded they only report on approved information. American judiciary have halted or reversed numerous presidential measures, something that is unthinkable in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, who established of a consulting firm, specializing in China, said: “America might face the worst crisis of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor observes that while many intellectuals in the country were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests regarding DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, who are appointed by the state, “cannot refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, people in the US are starting to take precautions that were once associated with more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university once outspoken on bilateral matters declined to speak for this article. He stated: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad