The United States Under the New Administration Feels Strangely Familiar to Those Watching from China

When Vickie Wang, an emerging comedic talent, steps onto the stage in New York, she is not just considering which jokes to deliver. She also carefully considers what subjects to avoid. “I don't engage in directly criticizing the administration,” she explained. Or if she does, she ensures it isn't captured for social media. “I'd never publicly share material in which I directly criticize authorities … I believe it's a learned behavior acquired back home.”

The comedian, thirty-nine, resided in Shanghai for almost a decade, departing in that year. In 2025, she relocated to the US. When she got there, she embarked on a frenzy of “overindulging on democracy,” going to lectures, demonstrations, and exploring New York’s public library.

However over the past year after the president was elected again, there has been a noticeable shift in the atmosphere, she says. “Back home, I understood where the line was, while here I find myself on unstable ground.”

Wang’s concerns reflect an emerging climate in the US which many Chinese, or those with experience in China, find disturbingly similar. Opponents face exclusion. The president demands total allegiance. Journalists are targeted. Establishments are attacked.

The president has openly expressed about his admiration for China's leader, the nation's authoritarian figure. He's called Xi as a “great guy”. As they agreed a brief ceasefire in economic tensions recently, the bonhomie between the two leaders of countries with diametrically opposed governance models became clear. And after decades of hope in America that improved relations with the East could assist the growing nation to liberalise, in the current administration, it appears as if the US is being pulled in China's path, instead of vice versa.

“The United States is experiencing a period of cultural revolution,” stated Zhang Qianfan, an academic at a top Chinese university. “The president, Donald Trump, is trying to mobilise the masses to sideline or weaken established figures … similar to what happened in China decades past.”

Since Trump initiated what's termed Department for Government Efficiency, or the agency, on federal institutions at the start in office, many in China have viewed US politics via the perspective of the Cultural Revolution. Whether it is the rallying of the youth to carry out presidential directives, or purging institutions of those deemed opposition, Trump as viewed from China has brought Mao-style chaos to the US, albeit without equivalent degrees of violence.

But after the turmoil of the early months under Trump has calmed, an unfamiliar, distinct type of climate has emerged in the country, which in different ways seems recognizable to numerous Chinese individuals.

‘The Beacon Has Become Dimmer’

The most profound similarity between the US today and the East is the crackdown on free speech.

A former police officer, turned CCP critic, found himself in a controversy this year, the likes of which he once faced in his homeland. He has lived in the US for several years, having fled China because of pressure from officials.

Last fall, after the death of a public figure, he posted that the individual was a “scumbag”. Similar to others across the US – who were fired for making negative comments regarding him – he encountered significant backlash. His family had personal info leaked and he was accused of espionage seeking to create division.

“That event was a real shock. I never imagined such a thing would occur in America – what typically happens 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 similarities with the East.

“Regarding targeting those who disagree and starting to surveil public speech about issues deemed controversial … It's appearing here,” noted Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at a US university. “This is that you see in the East now as too,” she added, adding that there were now fears in America of pupils informing against educators, a form of surveillance that has been encouraged by Chinese authorities.

Zhang, the legal expert, said that progressive thinkers like himself used to look to the US for ideals, since public debate on internal affairs in the country is dangerous. But now, “The US is no longer a ideal for Chinese liberals. The US's reputation has worsened across the board.”

“We once viewed the US as the symbol of democratic governance, but since the new administration, this lighthouse seems to have become less luminous”.

Chinese liberals, typically, at least in private, critical of China’s political system, now perceive it more acceptable than America’s, Zhang said. “It's somewhat difficult to acknowledge this reality … but after the pandemic, the government appears to be pursuing correct policies in environmental protection and promoting EVs and tech investment,” Zhang said, while “the West, exemplified by the United States, appear in decline.”

The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in American firms has also drawn parallels with the East, where the distinction between government and private industry is frequently unclear.

On Monday, authorities stated it will take a shareholder in a startup specialising in rare earth processing, after taking similar stakes in other companies deemed vital to national security. These moves have made certain stakeholders nervous that America is entering a fresh phase of government meddling in private industry.

Yet, there remain major differences between Trump’s America and the East. In October, multiple media outlets including the Guardian declined to agree to a Pentagon policy that required reporting solely on approved information. American judiciary have blocked or overturned many of Trump’s actions, an action that would be impossible in the nation's CCP-controlled legal system.

An analyst, who established of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, said: “The United States could descend into its gravest challenge of all time, far more severe than currently, and it will still be more free, open, and liberal than China under Xi.”

The professor notes that although numerous scholars in the country were surprised to see US universities capitulate to official requests regarding DEI policies and free speech on campus, in the East, the top universities are publicly controlled inherently. University leaders, who are selected by the state, “have no liberty refuse. They can’t afford defy orders.”

Nevertheless, people in the US are starting to take precautions that were once associated with more authoritarian countries. An academic at an American college who was previously vocal on bilateral matters refused to be interviewed for this article. He said: “Honestly, I am scared of suppression here: I actually feel less afraid to criticise Xi now than say anything bad