The United States Under the New Administration Seems Oddly Familiar to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, an emerging performer, takes her platform in the Big Apple, she's not just thinking about what humor to deliver. Additionally, she weighs what subjects to steer clear of. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she explained. Or if she does, she ensures it isn't recorded for social media. “I'd never publicly share content where I directly criticize authorities … I think this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, 39, resided in Shanghai for almost a decade, leaving in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. Upon arrival, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on democracy,” going to lectures, protests, and exploring the city's library system.

But over the past year after the president was elected again, there's been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “In China, I knew where the line was, whereas in the US I'm standing on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns mirror a new political reality in the US which numerous individuals from China, or those who have lived in the country, find disturbingly similar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader expects absolute loyalty. Reporters are targeted. Institutions are attacked.

The president has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader. He has described Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different political systems was evident. And after decades of optimism in America that improved relations with China could assist the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it seems that America is shifting in China's path, rather than the other way around.

“America is experiencing a period of societal upheaval,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is attempting to rally the masses to sideline or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in China decades past.”

Since the administration unleashed the so-called Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers see US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of the youth to execute presidential directives, or purging institutions of perceived enemies, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, albeit without the same levels of force.

However after the upheaval of the early months of the new administration has calmed, an unfamiliar, different kind of climate has settled in the US, which variously also feels familiar 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.

A former police officer, now a Chinese Communist party critic, ended up in the eye of a storm recently, similar to what he once faced in China. He has lived in America since 2019, having fled the country due to pressure from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – who lost their jobs for expressing criticism about Kirk – he encountered a huge backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy attempting to create division.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this would occur in America – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” he commented.

His backlash originated from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but that kind of public monitoring also has similarities with China.

“In terms of going after dissenters and starting to surveil public speech about issues that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge in the US,” said an academic, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something that you see in China today as too,” she said, stating that there were now fears in America of students reporting on educators, a type of monitoring that has been encouraged by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that progressive thinkers such as him once turned to America for political inspiration, since public debate on domestic politics in China is dangerous. But now, “America isn't some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. America’s image has declined generally.”

“We once viewed America as the symbol of constitutional democracy, but since the new administration, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, behind closed doors, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it less objectionable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of difficult to acknowledge this … but post-COVID, the government seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by America, seems to be in decline.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in American firms has also drawn comparisons with the East, where the line between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

Recently, authorities announced it would become a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, after taking similar stakes in additional firms it considers vital to the country's safety. These moves have made certain stakeholders concerned that America is entering a fresh phase of state intervention in the private sector.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and China. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that required reporting solely on government-authorised information. US courts have blocked or reversed numerous presidential measures, something that would be unthinkable in the nation's CCP-controlled judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, the founder of a consulting firm, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than it is now, and it will still be freer, more open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang observes that although numerous scholars in the country were surprised to see US universities capitulate to official requests concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on campus, in China, leading institutions are all state-owned by default. Administrators, which are appointed by the government, “cannot of saying no. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Still, Americans are beginning to take precautions previously confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at an American college who was previously vocal on US-China issues declined to speak for this piece. He said: “Honestly, I fear of suppression here: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad