"The American Revolution Redux?" - A Chilling Echo of Mao in Trump's America
Trump's behaviors evoke associations with Mao among the Chinese populace
The comparison may be a stretch, but it's undeniably intriguing. Some scholars and observers see a eerie resemblance between Donald Trump's presidency and the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao Zedong.
Taking a page directly from Mao's playbook, Trump boldly defies the elites, shuns bureaucracy, and proudly champions his close ties to the common man. This is a strategy that rings familiar to many, including Ding Xueliang, a Harvard-educated Chinese scholar who witnessed Mao's Cultural Revolution first-hand.
As a teenager, Ding joined Mao's Red Guards. Today, he serves as a professor emeritus and expert on the Chinese Cultural Revolution. According to CNN, this dance of déjà vu is not just in Ding's mind, as other Chinese citizens have expressed similar sentiments in recent months.
"Death by Familiarity"
Hu Shuli, a renowned entrepreneur and media researcher who experienced the Chinese Cultural Revolution as a youth, went on to study in the United States. On WeChat, she recently penned a controversial post: "Welcome to an American Cultural Revolution!"
"From the frying pan into the fire," Shuli declared, echoing the sentiment of Jiang Xue, a Chinese investigative journalist who moved to the U.S. Due to her work, Jiang was forced to flee China. Now, she finds herself struck by a nagging sense of familiarity.
The Beijing constitutional lawyer, Zhang Qianfan, also noted a parallel: like Mao, Trump surrounds himself with loyalists outside the established order. According to Zhang's colleague, Zi Zhongyun, dictators seek to connect directly with the people, circumventing the bureaucracy. In Mao's case, the Red Guards did just that, while Trump has Elon Musk and his team by his side.
Parallels and Pitfalls
While these comparisons are not without merit, it's essential to address the disparities in scale, intent, and context. Mao's Cultural Revolution tore through China, causing widespread death, public humiliation, and political turmoil on a massive scale. Trump has only been in office since late 2016, and the midterm elections in 2018 could potentially diminish his power.
Despite Trump's often controversial and autocratic tendencies, the U.S. has several checks and balances in place to protect its political system. The founding fathers purposefully placed obstacles in the system, which have proven effective in thwarting an autocratic leader. In Mao's China, this resistance was virtually non-existent.
In fact, Trump's administration has faced over one hundred lawsuits challenging its decisions, a sign that the U.S. justice system is actively monitoring and critiquing the administration. Moreover, U.S. media extensively and openly criticizes the president and his team, which would have been unthinkable in Mao's China.
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Scholars and experts draw numerous comparisons and contrasts between Donald Trump's actions and the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong, acknowledging significant differences in scale, intent, and context.
Parallels highlighted by Scholars and Experts
- Anti-Eligitism and Nationalism: Critics argue that Trumpism, particularly the "MAGA" movement, embodies ideological purity, a top-down nationalist agenda, and state intervention to reshape society, reminiscent of elements found in Mao's Cultural Revolution. This includes a strong skepticism of cultural elites and bureaucrats, as well as attacks on perceived enemies of the movement such as the media, political opponents, and academia[2].
- Institutional Assault: Both movements display hostility towards institutions perceived as adversarial. Trump's administration has targeted universities, NGOs, and media organizations, resembling how Mao's Cultural Revolution sought to destroy many societal institutions and traditional hierarchies[2][3].
- Economic and Social Disruption: Scholars have noted that Trump’s tariffs and trade policies, which deviate from free-market orthodoxy in favor of nationalist economic dominance, as well as his administration's approach to academia and scientific research, share similarities with the destructive impacts of the Cultural Revolution on the economy and society[3].
- Spectacle and Militarism: The organization of large-scale military parades and displays under Trump has been compared to Maoist spectacles designed to assert state power and foster nationalist fervor[2].
Key Differences Emphasized by Experts
- Lack of Totalizing, Revolutionary Ambition: Experts stress that while Trump's policies and style may be provocative and extreme, they lack Mao's aim for a totalizing and revolutionary transformation of society. Trump does not pursue a communist revolution or mass social upheaval of the scale Mao envisioned[1][2].
- Rule of Law and Institutional Constraints: Unlike Mao’s totalitarian regime that orchestrated mass violence and repressions, Trump operates within the constraints of U.S. law and democratic institutions, limiting the extent of transformation and violence possible under his administration[2].
- Trump's Strategic Limitations: Some observers believe Trump lacks the consolidated power Mao had during the Cultural Revolution, noting that pushback from institutions and civil society in the U.S. has limited the movement's reach. Unlike Mao's disciplined, ideologically driven revolution, Trump's movement is seen as more visceral and fragmented[3].
- Absence of Mass Death or Violence: The historical mass death and violence associated with Mao's Cultural Revolution bear no resemblance to Trump's actions, marking a fundamental difference in the human cost and nature of their methods[2].
Summary
While Trump's nationalist and anti-elite style, his attacks on cultural and academic institutions, and his economic policies share features reminiscent of the Chinese Cultural Revolution's ideological nature and disruption, experts caution against overstating these comparisons. Trump’s politics, constrained by American democratic norms and lacking Mao's ambitious revolution, do not replicate the violence, mass purges, and ideological enforcement of the Cultural Revolution. Nonetheless, the use of nationalist rhetoric, institutional criticisms, and economic interventionism continue to draw comparisons among scholars and political commentators.
In essence, Trump’s actions resemble a nationalist populist movement with some Maoist-inflected tendencies rather than a full-scale Cultural Revolution[1][2][3].
The European Union might find grounds for alarm in the similarities between Donald Trump's presidency and the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong, as highlighted by scholars and experts. These similarities include anti-elitism, nationalism, institutional assault, and economic and social disruption.
However, it is crucial to acknowledge the disparities in scale, intent, and context. While Trump's actions share features reminiscent of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, his politics are constrained by American democratic norms and lack Mao's ambitious revolution, resulting in a lower risk of violence, mass purges, and ideological enforcement. Consequently, Trump's policies might be classified as a nationalist populist movement with some Maoist-inflected tendencies rather than a full-scale Cultural Revolution.
