"American Crusade - Trump's Style Rekindles Chinese Memories of Mao"
Trump's behaviors evoke similarities to Mao's leadership style in the minds of Chinese citizens.
In a peculiar parallel, some Chinese intellectuals and scholars have drawn striking similarities between Donald Trump's administration and the turbulent era of Mao Zedong, the infamous founder of the People's Republic of China.
Trump's anti-elite sentiments, mistrust of bureaucracy, and affinity towards common folk echo the distinctive characteristics of the man who ruled China from 1949 to 1976. Case in point, Ding Xueliang, an emeritus professor and renowned expert on the Chinese Cultural Revolution, who earned his PhD from Harvard University. The professor, who lived through Mao's rule, was a part of the Red Guards at the tender age of 13.
Similar sentiments have been echoed in the USA by political scientist Ding and other Chinese citizens who have experienced the tumultuous times of the Cultural Revolution. On the social media platform WeChat, Hu Shuli, an entrepreneur and media researcher, wrote, "This is an American crusade!"
"Familiar Ring"
Like many others, Hu Shuli migrated to the USA to study after the Cultural Revolution. Recently, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Similar sentiments were shared by Jiang Xue, a Chinese investigative journalist who left China for the USA due to her investigative work. Xue spoke of an "overwhelming sense of familiarity."
Constitutional lawyer Zhang Qianfan explained that, much like Mao, Trump surrounds himself with loyalists who operate outside the establishment. Zhang's colleague Zi Zhongyun pointed out that dictators often seek direct contact with the people, bypassing the bureaucracy. In place of Mao's Red Guards, Trump relies on the talents of Elon Musk and his team to streamline the system.
A Tangled Web of Echoes
While CNN reports that Zhang is concerned about the personality cult developing around Trump, there are significant differences between the two situations. Mao's Cultural Revolution arose from a dictatorship and caused widespread turmoil, resulting in millions of casualties. Trump's administration has been in power for only a matter of months, and the upcoming midterm elections could limit his power.
There are mechanisms in place within the USA to protect the political system from potentially authoritarian leaders. As sociologist Andrew Walder pointed out in Foreign Policy, "The founding fathers put sand in the gears at every level of the system, and that has proven effective." The USA also has a free and vocal media that extensively and openly criticizes the president and his team, a luxury unattainable during the Cultural Revolution in China.
However, the comparison between the two leaders does touch upon a few key aspects: denial of facts and manipulation of truth, the cultivation of a personality cult, purging opponents, and the attempt to reshape cultural and ideological values. These parallels, despite their limitations, serve as a stark reminder of the complexities and challenges inherent in contemporary political landscapes.
- USA
- Donald Trump
- In the face of the current American administration, Chinese intellectual Hu Shuli, echoing sentiments shared by fellow Chinese expatriate Jiang Xue, expresses a sense of "familiar ring," reminiscent of the tumultuous times of the Cultural Revolution in China.
- As constitutional lawyer Zhang Qianfan notes, similarities exist between the leadership styles of Mao and Trump, with both men surrounding themselves with loyalists who operate outside the political establishment and cultivating a personality cult, albeit within different political contexts.
