The America Under the New Administration Seems Oddly Recognizable to Observers from China

When the standup comedian, a rising comedic talent, takes the stage in New York, she is not only considering which jokes to tell. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly attacking the government,” she stated. Or if she does, she ensures it isn't captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share material where I directly criticize authorities … I think it's a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, thirty-nine, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly ten years, departing in that year. By 2025, she moved to America. Upon arrival, she embarked on an intense period of “revenge bingeing on democracy,” going to talks, demonstrations, and exploring the city's public library.

But over the past year since the president returned to office again, there's been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I knew where the line was, whereas in the US I'm standing on unstable ground.”

Wang’s fears mirror an emerging political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those who have lived in the country, find eerily similar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Journalists face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

The president 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 temporary truce in the trade war on Thursday, the bonhomie between both figures of countries with vastly different governance models was evident. Following years of optimism in the US that improved relations with China may help the rising power to liberalise, in the current administration, it appears as if the US is shifting in China's path, rather than the other way around.

“America is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” said a constitutional law expert, a professor at Peking University. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses in order to marginalize or weaken the elite … reminiscent of events in China half a century ago.”

Since Trump unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start of his term, many in China see US politics via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the mobilisation of young people to carry out presidential directives, or purging organizations of perceived enemies, Trump as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit absent equivalent degrees of violence.

But since the turmoil of the initial period of the new administration has calmed, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Less Bright’

The deepest parallel between Trump’s America and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, turned Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in a controversy this year, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in China. Deng has lived in America since 2019, after escaping the country due to pressure from officials.

Last fall, after the death of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Like people nationwide – who were fired as a result of expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I hadn't thought such a thing would occur in the United States – something that typically happens in a repressive state,” he commented.

Deng’s pile on came from online peers, rather than the government, but that kind of social surveillance bears parallels with China.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing in the US,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something observed in China now as too,” she said, stating that concerns are rising in America of pupils informing against educators, a form of surveillance promoted by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to the US for ideals, since openly discussing internal affairs in China is risky. However, “America isn't a god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined generally.”

“We used to see America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, that guide seems to have become less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, behind closed doors, critical of the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “Western nations, exemplified by the United States, seems to be declining.”

The government's purchase of shares in US companies has prompted comparisons with the East, where the line between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities announced it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, following comparable shares in additional firms deemed essential for the country's safety. The deals have made certain stakeholders nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets among others declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on government-authorised news. US courts have blocked or reversed many of Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in the nation's party-dominated legal system.

An analyst, who established of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, said: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it will still be freer, open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that while numerous scholars in China were shocked to see US universities yield to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in the East, leading institutions are publicly controlled by default. Administrators, who are appointed by the government, “cannot of saying no. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions previously confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university who was previously vocal on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad