The America Under the New Administration Feels Strangely Recognizable to Observers from the East

As the standup comedian, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto the stage in New York, she's not only thinking about what humor to deliver. She also weighs what subjects to avoid. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the administration,” she explained. And when she does, she ensures it isn't captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share material where I openly disparage the government … I think this is a habit acquired back home.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for almost a decade, leaving in that year. In 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she embarked on an intense period of “revenge bingeing on freedom,” attending lectures, demonstrations, and delving into New York’s public library.

But over the past year since the president was elected again, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she says. “In China, I knew where the line was, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s concerns mirror a new climate in the US which numerous individuals from China, or people who have lived in the country, find disturbingly similar. Enemies are ostracised. The president expects total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments are attacked.

The president has not been shy about his admiration for Xi Jinping, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in the trade war on Thursday, the camaraderie between the two leaders of countries with diametrically opposed governance models became clear. And after decades of optimism in America that improved relations with China could assist the growing nation to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it seems that America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is experiencing an era of cultural revolution,” said a constitutional law expert, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to rally the grassroots to marginalize or undermine the elite … similar to events in China decades past.”

Ever since Trump unleashed what's termed a government streamlining body, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers see US politics through the lens of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of the youth to execute the leader’s will, or purging organizations of perceived enemies, the president as viewed from China has brought disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, though without equivalent degrees of force.

However since the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, different kind of political atmosphere has settled in the country, which variously seems recognizable to many Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Is Dimmer’

The most profound parallel between Trump’s America and China is the suppression on free speech.

A former police officer, now a Chinese Communist party critic, ended up in a controversy recently, similar to what he once faced in China. Deng resided in America since 2019, having fled the country because of harassment from officials.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Similar to others 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 was accused of being a Chinese spy attempting to create division.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing would occur in the United States – what should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s pile on came from online peers, instead of the government, but such of social surveillance bears parallels with the East.

“In terms of going after dissenters and monitoring open discourse about issues deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge here,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at Georgia State University. “This is observed in China now as well,” she added, stating that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against teachers, a form of surveillance that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

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

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

Chinese liberals, who are often, behind closed doors, critical of China’s political system, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing correct policies in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by America, appear declining.”

The Trump administration’s purchase of stakes in US companies has prompted parallels with China, where the distinction between state and private industry is often blurred.

On Monday, authorities announced it would become an investor in a new company focused on mineral refinement, following comparable shares in additional firms deemed essential for the country's safety. The deals have left certain stakeholders nervous that America is entering a new era of state intervention in private industry.

There are still major differences between Trump’s America and China. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that required they only report on approved information. American judiciary have halted or overturned many of Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in the nation's party-dominated judiciary.

Isaac Stone Fish, who established of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, commented: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of all time, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang notes that while numerous scholars in China were surprised to see American colleges yield to government demands regarding diversity and inclusion practices and free speech on campus, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. University leaders, which are selected by the state, “cannot refuse. They dare not defy orders.”

Still, Americans are beginning to take precautions that were once associated with repressive regimes. One professor at a US university once outspoken on US-China issues declined to speak for this article. He stated: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship here: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi now than say anything bad