Trump's America Under Trump's Second Term Seems Oddly Familiar to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, takes the stage in the Big Apple, she's not only thinking about which jokes to deliver. Additionally, she carefully considers which topics to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the government,” she stated. Or if she does, she makes certain it isn't captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share material in which I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, lived in the Chinese metropolis for almost a decade, departing in 2022. In 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” going to lectures, protests, and exploring New York’s library system.

However in the year after the president returned to office again, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she notes. “Back home, I knew where the line was, whereas here I'm standing on shifting sands.”

Her fears reflect an emerging political reality in the US which many Chinese, or those who have lived in China, perceive as disturbingly similar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader expects total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments come under fire.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's strongman leader. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of nations with diametrically opposed political systems was evident. Following years of hope in the US that closer ties with the East could assist the growing nation become more open, under Trump 2.0, it appears that the US is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“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 attempting to rally the grassroots to sideline or undermine the elite … reminiscent of events in China half a century ago.”

Since Trump unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on the Washington bureaucracy at the start in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Be it the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or purging institutions of perceived enemies, Trump as viewed from China has brought Mao-style chaos to America, albeit absent the same levels of force.

However since the upheaval of the initial period under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the US, which variously seems familiar to many Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Is Dimmer’

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

A former police officer, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy recently, the likes of which he once faced in his homeland. Deng has lived in the US since 2019, having fled China due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that Kirk was a “scumbag”. Like people across the US – many of whom were fired as a result of expressing criticism about Kirk – he encountered significant backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of espionage attempting to divide the US.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined that something like this would occur in the United States – something that typically happens in a repressive state,” he commented.

His backlash originated from online peers, rather than the government, but such of public monitoring bears parallels with the East.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something observed in the East today as well,” she said, adding that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against teachers, a form of monitoring that has been encouraged by the CCP.

The professor, the legal expert, explained that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to America for ideals, since public debate on domestic politics in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US isn't a god for progressive Chinese. America’s image has worsened generally.”

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

Progressive Chinese, typically, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this … but post-COVID, the government seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and promoting EVs and investing in hi-tech,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

The government's acquisition of shares in US companies has also drawn parallels with the East, where the distinction between state and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government stated it would become an investor in a startup specialising in mineral refinement, following similar stakes in additional firms deemed vital to the country's safety. These moves have made some investors concerned that America is entering a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

There are still major differences between the US under Trump and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets among others declined to agree to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on government-authorised information. US courts have halted or overturned numerous presidential measures, an action that would be unthinkable in the nation's party-dominated legal system.

Isaac Stone Fish, the founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “The United States might face the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than it is now, and it will still be more free, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that while many intellectuals in the country were surprised to see US universities yield to official requests regarding diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on university grounds, in China, the top universities are all state-owned inherently. University leaders, which are selected by the government, “have no liberty of saying no. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, Americans are starting to take precautions that were once confined to more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college who was previously outspoken on bilateral matters refused to speak for this piece. He stated: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression in the US: I actually feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad