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

As the standup comedian, an emerging performer, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not only thinking about which jokes to tell. Additionally, she weighs which topics to avoid. “I refrain from directly attacking the government,” she explained. Or if she does, she makes certain it's not captured for online platforms. “I would never publicly share material where I openly disparage authorities … I think it's a habit from China.”

The comedian, 39, lived in Shanghai for almost ten years, departing in 2022. In 2025, she relocated to America. When she got there, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” going to lectures, protests, and delving into the city's library system.

However in the year since Donald Trump was elected again, there's been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “In China, I knew where the line was, while in the US I find myself on shifting sands.”

Her concerns reflect an emerging climate in America which numerous individuals from China, or people with experience in China, perceive as disturbingly familiar. Enemies are ostracised. The leader expects total allegiance. Journalists face scrutiny. Institutions are attacked.

Trump has not been shy regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a temporary truce in the trade war recently, the camaraderie between both figures of nations with vastly different political systems was evident. And after decades of hope in the US that improved relations with the East may help the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it seems as if the US is shifting in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“America is undergoing a period of cultural revolution,” stated a constitutional law expert, a professor at Peking University. “The top leader, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses to marginalize or weaken the elite … reminiscent of events in the country half a century ago.”

Since the administration initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, on federal institutions early on in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics through the lens of China's historical period. Be it the rallying of young people to execute presidential directives, or cleansing institutions of those deemed opposition, the president as viewed from China has delivered Mao-style chaos to the US, albeit absent 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 emerged in the US, which in different ways also feels familiar to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between the US today and the East is the crackdown on open expression.

Deng Haiyan, turned CCP dissenter, ended up in the eye of a storm recently, the likes of which he’d only previously experienced in his homeland. Deng resided in the US since 2019, after escaping China due to harassment from the authorities.

In September, after the death of a public figure, Deng tweeted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Similar to others nationwide – many of whom were fired as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. His family was doxed and he faced allegations of being a Chinese spy seeking to create division.

“This incident surprised me deeply. I never imagined that something like this would occur in the United States – what typically happens in an authoritarian country,” Deng said.

His backlash came from online peers, instead of the government, but such of public monitoring also has similarities with China.

“In terms of targeting those who disagree and monitoring open discourse about issues that are sensitive … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “That’s something observed in China today as too,” she added, stating that there were now fears in the US of pupils informing against educators, a form of monitoring promoted by Chinese authorities.

The professor, the Peking University law professor, said that liberal Chinese intellectuals like himself once turned to America for political inspiration, since public debate on internal affairs in China is risky. However, “America isn't some kind of god for Chinese liberals. America’s image has worsened generally.”

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

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, skeptical about the nation's governance, now perceive it more acceptable than the US's, he stated. “It's somewhat painful to accept this reality … but after the pandemic, the government appears to be pursuing correct policies in improving the environment and developing electric cars and investing in hi-tech,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, appear declining.”

The government's purchase of stakes in American firms has also drawn comparisons with the East, where the line between state and business is often blurred.

On Monday, the US government announced it would become a shareholder in a startup focused on mineral refinement, following comparable shares in other companies it considers vital to national security. These moves have made some investors concerned that America is entering a new era of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain significant distinctions between Trump’s America and the East. Last month, several news organisations among others declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that demanded they only report on government-authorised news. US courts have halted or overturned numerous Trump’s actions, an action that is impossible in China’s party-dominated judiciary.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “America could descend into its gravest challenge of its history, far more severe than it is now, and it will still be freer, open, and more liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang notes that although many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see American colleges capitulate to government demands concerning diversity and inclusion practices and open discourse on university grounds, in the East, leading institutions are publicly controlled inherently. Administrators, which are selected by the government, “cannot of saying no. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Nevertheless, Americans are starting to adopt measures previously confined to more authoritarian countries. One professor at a US university once vocal on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this piece. He said: “The truth is, I am scared of the censorship in the US: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad