The United States During the New Administration Feels Strangely Familiar to Observers from the East

When Vickie Wang, an emerging performer, steps onto her platform in the Big Apple, she's not just thinking about what humor to tell. She also weighs what subjects to steer clear of. “I don't engage in openly criticizing the government,” she stated. And when she ventures there, she makes certain it isn't captured for online platforms. “I'd never publish openly material in which I directly criticize authorities … I believe this is a habit acquired back home.”

Wang, 39, lived in the Chinese metropolis for almost a decade, departing in that year. By 2025, she moved to America. When she got there, she dove into a frenzy of “overindulging on freedom,” attending talks, protests, and exploring New York’s public library.

But in the year after the president was elected for the second time, there has been a “palpable change” in the atmosphere, she notes. “In China, I knew the boundaries, while here I'm standing on unstable ground.”

Her concerns reflect a new political reality in the US which many Chinese, or people with experience in China, find disturbingly similar. Enemies face exclusion. The leader expects total allegiance. Reporters are targeted. Institutions come under fire.

The president has openly expressed regarding his respect for Xi Jinping, the nation's strongman leader. He has described Xi as “fantastic”. When they reached a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the camaraderie between the two leaders of countries with diametrically opposed political systems became clear. Following years of optimism in the US that closer ties with China could assist the rising power to liberalise, under Trump 2.0, it appears that America is being pulled in the Chinese direction, rather than vice versa.

“America is experiencing an era of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at Peking University. “The top leader, Trump, is trying to mobilise the grassroots to sideline or weaken established figures … reminiscent of events in the country decades past.”

Since Trump unleashed what's termed a government streamlining body, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start in office, numerous Chinese observers have viewed US politics via the perspective of China's historical period. Whether it is the rallying of the youth to execute presidential directives, or purging institutions of perceived enemies, Trump from a Chinese viewpoint has delivered disorder reminiscent of Mao to the US, though without the same levels of violence.

However since the upheaval of the initial period under Trump subsided, a new, distinct type of climate has settled in the US, which in different ways also feels familiar to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Lighthouse Has Become Less Bright’

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

A former police officer, now a CCP dissenter, found himself in a controversy this year, similar to what he once faced in China. He resided in America for several years, having fled China due to pressure from the authorities.

In September, following the passing of a public figure, he posted that the individual was “despicable”. Similar to others across the US – who lost their jobs as a result of making negative comments about Kirk – Deng faced a huge backlash. Relatives had personal info leaked and he was accused of espionage attempting to divide the US.

“This incident was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing could happen in America – something that should only happen in a repressive state,” Deng said.

Deng’s backlash originated from fellow social media users, rather than the government, but such of public monitoring bears parallels with China.

“Regarding going after dissenters and starting to surveil public speech on topics deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” said Maria Repnikova, a scholar at a US university. “That’s something that you see in the East today as too,” she added, adding that there were now fears in America of students reporting on teachers, a form of surveillance that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the Peking University law professor, explained that liberal Chinese intellectuals such as him used to look to the US for political inspiration, since public debate on domestic politics in the country is risky. But now, “America is no longer some kind of ideal for progressive Chinese. America’s image has worsened generally.”

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

Chinese liberals, typically, behind closed doors, skeptical about China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, he stated. “It’s sort of painful to accept this … but after the pandemic, authorities appears to be pursuing the right thing in improving the environment and promoting EVs and tech investment,” he noted, while “the West, exemplified by America, seems to be declining.”

The government's acquisition of stakes in US companies has prompted comparisons with China, where the distinction between government and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, the US government stated it would become a shareholder in a new company focused on mineral refinement, following comparable shares in other companies it considers essential for national security. These moves have left some investors concerned that the US is entering a new era of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between the US under Trump and China. Last month, multiple media outlets among others refused to sign to a Pentagon policy that required reporting solely on government-authorised information. American judiciary have halted or overturned numerous Trump’s actions, something that is impossible in the nation's CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, the founder of a consulting firm, specializing in China, commented: “The United States could descend into the worst crisis of its history, far more severe than currently, and it would remain freer, more open, and liberal than the East under its leader.”

Zhang notes that although many intellectuals in the country were shocked to see US universities yield to government demands concerning DEI policies and free speech on university grounds, in China, the top universities are publicly controlled by default. University leaders, which are appointed by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They dare not to be disobedient.”

Still, Americans are beginning to take precautions previously associated with repressive regimes. An academic at an American college who was previously vocal on US-China issues refused to speak for this article. He said: “The truth is, I fear of the censorship in the US: I genuinely feel more comfortable to criticise Xi these days than say anything bad