The United States Under the New Administration Seems Strangely Familiar to Those Watching from the East

When Vickie Wang, an emerging performer, takes the stage in New York, she is not just considering which jokes to tell. She also carefully considers which topics to avoid. “I refrain from directly criticizing the government,” she stated. Or if she ventures there, she makes certain it's not recorded for social media. “I'd never publish openly content where I openly disparage the government … I think this is a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for nearly a decade, leaving in that year. In 2025, she moved to the US. When she got there, she embarked on an intense period of “overindulging on democracy,” attending lectures, protests, and delving into New York’s public library.

However in the year since Donald Trump was elected for the second time, there's been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, whereas here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s fears mirror an emerging political reality in America which numerous individuals from China, or people who have lived in the country, perceive as disturbingly similar. Enemies face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Reporters face scrutiny. Establishments come under fire.

Trump has openly expressed regarding his respect for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He has described him as “fantastic”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions on Thursday, the camaraderie between both figures of nations with diametrically opposed political systems became clear. And after decades of hope in America that closer ties with the East could assist the rising power become more open, in the current administration, it seems that America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, instead of the other way around.

“The United States is undergoing an era of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, a professor at a top Chinese university. “The president, Trump, is attempting to mobilise the grassroots to marginalize or undermine the elite … similar to what happened in the country half a century ago.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start in office, numerous Chinese observers see American governance via the perspective of China's historical period. Be it the mobilisation of young people to execute the leader’s will, or purging institutions of those deemed opposition, the president from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to America, though absent the same levels of violence.

But after the turmoil of the initial period of the new administration subsided, a new, different kind of climate has settled in the country, which variously seems recognizable to many Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Is Dimmer’

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

Deng Haiyan, now a Chinese Communist party critic, found himself in a controversy recently, the likes of which he once faced in China. He resided in the US since 2019, after escaping China due to pressure from the authorities.

Last fall, following the passing of Charlie Kirk, he posted that Kirk was “despicable”. Like people nationwide – many of whom were fired for making negative comments regarding him – Deng faced significant backlash. His family 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 such a thing would occur in America – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, rather than the government, but that kind of social surveillance bears similarities with the East.

“Regarding going after those who disagree and starting to surveil open discourse on topics deemed controversial … That’s starting to emerge here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “This is that you see in China now as well,” she said, adding that there were now fears in America of students reporting on educators, a form of monitoring promoted by the CCP.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself once turned to the US for political inspiration, since public debate on domestic politics in the country is risky. However, “America isn't some kind of god for progressive Chinese. America’s image has worsened generally.”

“We once viewed America as the symbol of democratic governance, but after Trump took power, that guide appears dimmer”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about China’s political system, are increasingly finding it less objectionable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of difficult to acknowledge this … but post-COVID, authorities seems to be doing the right thing 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 government and private industry is often blurred.

Recently, authorities announced it will take an investor in a startup focused on rare earth processing, following comparable shares in other companies it considers vital to the country's safety. The deals have made certain stakeholders nervous that the US is embarking on a new era of state intervention in the private sector.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and the East. Last month, several news organisations including the Guardian refused to sign to a defense department rule that required they only report on government-authorised news. American judiciary have blocked or overturned numerous presidential measures, an action that would be unthinkable in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of Strategy Risks, specializing in China, commented: “America might face the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, more open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang notes that while many intellectuals in the country were surprised to see American colleges yield to official requests concerning DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, which are appointed by the government, “cannot of saying no. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are beginning to adopt measures previously confined to repressive regimes. An academic at an American college once vocal on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this article. He stated: “The truth is, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel more comfortable criticizing China's leader these days than say anything bad