Is America Mirroring China’s Authoritarian Turn? A chilling observation from those who’ve lived under Beijing’s rule.
When Vickie Wang, an up-and-coming comedian, steps onto the stage in New York, her mind isn’t just on delivering laughs. She’s also carefully navigating which jokes to avoid. “I steer clear of directly criticizing the administration,” she admits. If she does, she ensures it’s not recorded for social media. “I’d never publicly post anything that directly attacks the government… It’s a habit I picked up in China,” she explains. Wang, 39, spent nearly a decade in Shanghai before leaving in 2022 and relocating to the U.S. in 2025. Initially, she embraced her new freedom with fervor, attending talks, protests, and immersing herself in New York’s public libraries—a “revenge binge on democracy,” as she calls it.
But since Donald Trump’s second term as president began, Wang has noticed a “palpable shift” in the air. “In China, I knew exactly where the line was,” she says. “Here, it feels like I’m standing on quicksand.”
Wang’s unease reflects a political climate in the U.S. that many Chinese citizens—or those who’ve lived in China—find eerily familiar. Opponents are ostracized, the president demands unwavering loyalty, journalists are targeted, and institutions are under attack. But here’s where it gets controversial: Trump has openly admired Xi Jinping, China’s authoritarian leader, calling him a “great guy.” Their recent trade truce highlighted a surprising camaraderie between leaders of nations with opposing political systems. For decades, the U.S. hoped closer ties with China would encourage its liberalization. Now, under Trump 2.0, it seems the U.S. is drifting toward China’s model, not the other way around.
“The United States is undergoing its own cultural revolution,” observes Zhang Qianfan, a constitutional law professor at Peking University. “Trump is mobilizing the masses to sideline the elite, much like what happened in China half a century ago.” Since Trump launched the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) to overhaul Washington’s bureaucracy, many in China have viewed U.S. politics through the lens of the Cultural Revolution. From rallying youth to enforce the leader’s agenda to purging institutions of perceived enemies, Trump’s America, as seen from China, echoes Mao-era chaos—minus the extreme violence.
And this is the part most people miss: As the initial turmoil of Trump’s administration has subsided, a new political atmosphere has emerged—one that feels disturbingly familiar to many Chinese. The most striking parallel? The crackdown on free speech.
Deng Haiyan, a former police officer turned critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), found himself at the center of a storm this year unlike anything he’d experienced since leaving China in 2019. After the death of Charlie Kirk, Deng tweeted that Kirk was a “scumbag.” Like countless others across the U.S. who faced repercussions for similar comments, Deng endured a severe backlash. His family was doxed, and he was labeled a Chinese spy trying to divide America. “I was shocked,” Deng said. “I never thought something like this could happen in the United States—it feels like something out of an authoritarian playbook.”
While Deng’s ordeal was driven by social media users rather than the state, this kind of public surveillance mirrors practices in China. “The targeting of dissenters and the monitoring of sensitive public discourse—it’s emerging here,” notes Maria Repnikova, an associate professor at Georgia State University. “It’s a trend we see in China today, too,” she adds, pointing to fears in the U.S. of students reporting on teachers—a tactic encouraged by the CCP.
Zhang, the Peking University professor, recalls how Chinese liberals once looked to the U.S. for political inspiration, given the risks of discussing domestic politics in China. But now, “America is no longer a beacon for Chinese liberals. Its image has faded across the board.” He laments, “We used to see America as the shining example of constitutional democracy, but under Trump, that light seems dimmer.”
Chinese liberals, often critical of their own political system in private, are now finding America’s model less appealing. “It’s painful to admit,” Zhang says, “but post-pandemic, China’s government seems to be making strides in environmental improvements, electric vehicles, and high-tech investments, while the U.S. appears to be declining.”
The Trump administration’s acquisition of stakes in U.S. companies has also drawn comparisons to China’s blurred lines between government and private industry. Earlier this week, the U.S. government announced it would become a shareholder in a rare earth processing startup, raising concerns about increased government interference in private enterprise.
Here’s the counterpoint that’ll spark debate: Despite these parallels, significant differences remain. In October, several news organizations, including the Guardian, refused to comply with a Pentagon policy restricting reporting to government-approved news. U.S. courts have repeatedly blocked or overturned Trump’s actions—unimaginable in China’s CCP-controlled judiciary. Isaac Stone Fish, founder of Strategy Risks, a China-focused advisory firm, argues, “Even in its worst crisis, the U.S. would still be freer and more open than China under Xi.”
Zhang points out that while Chinese intellectuals were stunned by U.S. universities capitulating to government demands on free speech and diversity, China’s top universities are state-owned by default. Their leaders, appointed by the government, “have no choice but to comply.”
Yet, Americans are increasingly taking precautions once reserved for authoritarian regimes. One U.S. professor, previously vocal on U.S.-China issues, declined to be interviewed for this article. “I’m genuinely afraid of censorship here,” he admitted. “Honestly, I feel safer criticizing Xi than saying anything negative about Trump.”
Thought-provoking question for you: Is the U.S. truly sliding toward authoritarianism, or are these parallels overstated? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s keep the conversation going!
