The America During the New Administration Feels Strangely Recognizable to Those Watching from China

When the standup comedian, a rising performer, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not only thinking about which jokes to deliver. She also carefully considers what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in directly attacking the government,” she stated. Or if she ventures there, she makes certain it's not recorded for social media. “I'd never publish openly material in which I directly criticize the government … I think this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, resided in the Chinese metropolis for nearly a decade, departing in 2022. By 2025, she relocated to America. Upon arrival, she dove into an intense period of “overindulging on freedom,” attending lectures, protests, and exploring the city's library system.

However in the year after Donald Trump returned to office for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the environment, she says. “Back home, I knew the boundaries, whereas here I find myself on shifting sands.”

Wang’s fears reflect an emerging climate in the US which many Chinese, or people who have lived in the country, perceive as eerily similar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader demands total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Institutions come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, China’s strongman leader. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions on Thursday, the bonhomie between the two leaders of nations with vastly different governance models became clear. Following years of optimism in the US that closer ties with China may help the growing nation to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it seems that the US is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“The United States is undergoing a period of societal upheaval,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is trying to rally the masses to sideline or undermine established figures … similar to events in China decades past.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions at the start in office, many in China see American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Whether it is the rallying of young people to execute the leader’s will, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, though without the same levels of force.

But since the turmoil of the early months of the new administration subsided, a new, different kind of climate has emerged in the country, which variously also feels familiar to numerous Chinese people.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound parallel between the US today and the East is the suppression on open expression.

A former police officer, turned Chinese Communist party dissenter, found himself in a controversy recently, the likes of which he once faced in China. He resided in America for several years, having fled the country due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, after the death of Charlie Kirk, he posted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Like people across the US – many of whom lost their jobs for expressing criticism regarding him – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of espionage attempting to create division.

“That event surprised me deeply. I hadn't thought that something like this would occur in America – something that should only happen in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s pile on came from fellow social media users, instead of the state, but such of social surveillance also has parallels with the East.

“In terms of going after dissenters and starting to surveil open discourse on topics that are sensitive … That’s starting to emerge here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “That’s something that you see in the East now as well,” she added, adding that concerns are rising in America of students reporting on educators, a type of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to the US for political inspiration, since openly discussing domestic politics in the country is risky. But now, “The US is no longer some kind of ideal for progressive Chinese. America’s image has worsened generally.”

“We once viewed America as the beacon of constitutional democracy, but after Trump took power, that guide seems to have become dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, who are often, behind closed doors, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, authorities seems to be doing the right thing in environmental protection and promoting EVs and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by America, appear in decline.”

The government's purchase of stakes in American firms has also drawn comparisons with China, where the distinction between state and business is frequently unclear.

On Monday, authorities announced it would become a shareholder in a new company specialising in rare earth processing, following comparable shares in additional firms it considers essential for national security. These moves have left some investors concerned that America is embarking on a new era of government meddling in the private sector.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between the US under Trump and the East. Last month, multiple media outlets among others declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that demanded reporting solely on approved news. US courts have halted or overturned numerous presidential measures, an action that would be unthinkable in China’s party-dominated legal system.

An analyst, who established of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain more free, more open, and more liberal than China under Xi.”

Zhang observes that although many intellectuals in China were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to official requests regarding DEI policies and open discourse on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, which are selected by the state, “cannot of saying no. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously associated with more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college who was previously vocal on US-China issues declined to speak for this article. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad