The America During the New Administration Seems Strangely Familiar to Observers from the East

As Vickie Wang, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto her platform in New York, she is not only considering what humor to tell. Additionally, she carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly attacking the government,” she explained. Or if she ventures there, she makes certain it's not captured for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly content in which I openly disparage the government … I believe 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 “revenge bingeing on democracy,” attending lectures, demonstrations, and exploring the city's public library.

But in the year after the president was elected again, there's been a noticeable shift in the environment, she notes. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, while in the US I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns reflect a new political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or those with experience in the country, perceive as eerily similar. Opponents face exclusion. The leader demands absolute loyalty. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments are attacked.

Trump has openly expressed about his admiration for Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader. He's called Xi as “fantastic”. As they agreed a temporary truce in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different governance models was evident. Following years of optimism in the US that closer ties with China could assist the growing nation to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears that the US is being pulled in China's path, rather than the other way around.

“America is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” said Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The top leader, Trump, is attempting to rally the masses to marginalize or undermine established figures … similar to what happened in China half a century ago.”

Since Trump unleashed what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions early on of his term, many in China see American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of perceived enemies, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, albeit without the same levels of force.

But since the turmoil of the early months under Trump has calmed, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways seems familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Beacon Has Become Less Bright’

The most profound similarity between Trump’s America and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party dissenter, ended up in a controversy this year, the likes of which he once faced in his homeland. Deng resided in the US since 2019, after escaping the country because of harassment from officials.

Last fall, following the passing of a public figure, Deng tweeted that Kirk was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – many of whom were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced significant backlash. His family was doxed and he was accused 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 backlash came from online peers, rather than the state, but that kind of public monitoring bears similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing in the US,” noted Maria Repnikova, a scholar at a US university. “This is that you see in China today as well,” she added, stating that concerns are rising in the US of pupils informing against teachers, a type of surveillance promoted by the CCP.

The professor, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to the US for ideals, since openly discussing domestic politics in the country is dangerous. However, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened generally.”

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

Progressive Chinese, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, are increasingly finding it more acceptable than the US's, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but after the pandemic, authorities appears to be pursuing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by America, appear declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of shares in US companies has also drawn parallels with China, where the line between state and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, authorities announced it would become an investor in a startup focused on mineral refinement, following comparable shares in other companies it considers essential for national security. The deals have left certain stakeholders nervous that the US is entering a new era of government meddling in private industry.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and the East. In October, multiple media outlets among others refused to sign to a defense department rule that required they only report on government-authorised information. US courts have blocked or reversed numerous Trump’s actions, something that would be unthinkable in the nation's CCP-controlled legal system.

Isaac Stone Fish, the founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “America might face its gravest challenge of all time, orders of magnitudes worse than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

The professor notes that while numerous scholars in the country were surprised to see American colleges capitulate to official requests concerning DEI policies and free speech on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, who are appointed by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are beginning to adopt measures that were once confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college once outspoken on bilateral matters refused to speak for this article. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of suppression here: I actually feel less afraid criticizing China's leader now than say anything bad