Has America Entered Its Own “Cultural Revolution”?

美國也“文革”了？

By Ming Guanghua (明光华)

【Editor’s Note: Ming Guanghua draws a striking comparison between the adulation surrounding Trump and the cult of personality during China’s Cultural Revolution (文革). Despite America’s democratic traditions, Trump’s supporters, including high-ranking officials, have showered him with fawning praise—proposing to make his birthday a federal holiday, place his face on Mount Rushmore, and even amend the Constitution to allow him a third term. Such sycophancy, reminiscent of Maoist China, baffles those who value democratic principles.

Ming argues that Americans, having never endured true autocracy, have become complacent, mistaking their political system for invincible. This contrasts with China, where indoctrination sustains authoritarianism. However, he remains optimistic, believing that America’s open society, strong media, and democratic institutions will resist Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. In contrast, China’s “little pinks” (小粉红) remain trapped in a worsening cycle under Xi Jinping. Ultimately, Ming warns that blind faith in any leader—whether Trump or Mao—threatens democracy and rational governance.】

Trump has been in office for just one month, yet his bizarre domestic and foreign policies have stunned the world. Even more astonishing is the fanatical adoration and lavish flattery he receives from his supporters—especially the so-called “Trump fans” in the United States and certain politicians. The level of sycophancy they display is on par with that of Chinese people during the Chinese Communist Party (中共)–led “Cultural Revolution (文革),” when they extolled their “Great Leader” to a nauseating degree. One can hardly believe one’s eyes:

——The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nominated by Trump, declared to him: “I love you, sir. I think you’re great, sir. I’d kill for you, sir.”
——Trump’s National Security Advisor said, “Eventually, the Nobel Peace Prize will be associated with Trump’s name.”
——The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, nominated by Trump, proclaimed, “Even based on the achievements of just his first term, Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize.”
——Last week, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (克勞迪婭·坦尼) of New York introduced a bill to make June 14—Trump’s birthday—a federal holiday, citing him as “the most important president in modern American history.” On social media, she waxed lyrical: “Just as George Washington’s birthday was made a federal holiday, this legislation will add Trump’s birthday to that list. He is the founder of America’s golden age.… By designating Trump’s birthday and Flag Day as a federal holiday, we can ensure that President Trump’s contributions to America’s greatness and the importance of the American flag are forever enshrined in law.”
——On Trump’s fifth day in office, Andy Ogles put forth a shocking proposal: amending the Twenty-Second Amendment of the Constitution to allow Trump to serve a third term!
——Guy Reschenthaler (蓋伊·雷申塔勒), the Deputy Whip of the House majority, announced on X that House Republicans have introduced a bill to rename Washington Dulles International Airport in honor of former President Trump. The bill has been submitted to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for further consideration. If passed, Dulles Airport on the outskirts of the capital in Virginia would be renamed “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
——Representative Anna Paulina Luna (安娜·保利娜·盧娜) of Florida introduced a bill seeking to add President Trump’s likeness to the Mount Rushmore monument (拉什莫爾山紀念碑), commonly known as “Presidents Mountain,” placing him alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Recently, on the social platform X, she wrote: “His extraordinary accomplishments for our country, and the successes he will continue to bring, deserve the highest recognition and honor on this iconic national memorial. Let’s start carving!”
As for the tech oddball Elon Musk (馬斯克) and Vice President J. D. Vance (J·D·萬斯) fawning over Trump in a grotesque duet of praise, it’s enough to make one sick.

——Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Commerce, Lutnick (盧特尼克), remarked: “I want to thank President Trump. Working for you, working with you, traveling the world promoting your name, your leadership, and your banner is my greatest honor… I know he is the smartest, most considerate, most intuitive person I have ever seen.”
……

This wave of flattery and ingratiation has actually become fashionable within the current U.S. administration and among certain segments of the Republican Party’s Trump base. And it’s blowing in from none other than the United States of America, historically the beacon of freedom and democracy. Everyone who cherishes liberty, democracy, and the rule of law, and all people in modern civilized societies, are left utterly speechless—especially Chinese liberal-minded individuals who have suffered under the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party (中共) and vividly remember the “Cultural Revolution (文革).” Why would American Trump supporters in a free and democratic society exhibit such embarrassing kowtowing to power? It’s baffling. The only guess I can muster, with my limited intellect, is that these people have never experienced the beatings dealt by a dictatorial tyrant—they have no firsthand pain. On the contrary, a dormant weakness in human nature, a reverence for power, is being awakened by a megalomaniac the likes of which they’ve never seen. Under the sway of this “worship of might,” some Americans, who have lived too long in comfort, think having a “king” might not be so bad; in fact, it might even be romantic and entertaining. Perhaps they fail to see how this runs counter to the principles of separation of powers embraced by America’s Founding Fathers under the influence of the European Enlightenment. Maybe they also don’t realize that the Founding Fathers painstakingly drafted the world’s first modern written constitution precisely to limit the abuse of power and prevent the rise of an emperor or a tyrant. Having enjoyed nearly 250 years of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, Americans seem to treat these universal values as if they fell from the sky, existing naturally and thus immune to the schemes of any self-serving despot. They naively believe, “A king is pretty cute—he’s the chosen one sent by God to save and protect America, and even a bullet can’t kill him.” Under their rose-tinted illusions, the words “dictatorship” and “tyranny” simply do not appear in America’s lexicon. This is reminiscent of how China’s post-1980s, ’90s, and 2000s generations, who have no personal memory of the cruelty of the Cultural Revolution (文革) unleashed by Mao the devil (毛魔), see it as something fun or romantic—a way to negate all authority, break taboos, and “rebel with justification.” They think they are finding true personal independence and dignity without realizing that these so-called rejections of authority were merely “sticks” used by the “Great Leader” to persecute his enemies—an atavistic surrender to humanity’s basest instincts that has nothing to do with real humanity or modern values. These same naive and ignorant fantasies still drive the throngs of people who line up daily at the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall (毛澤東紀念堂) in Beijing or who pour into Shaoshan, Hunan (湖南韶山), on Mao’s birthday (毛誕日). But the truth is cruel beyond measure! Only those in China who survived that era still carry the lingering fear.

Unlike China, which is closed off and engages in widespread indoctrination, Americans under Trump will sooner or later taste the full range of dire consequences brought on by a dictator, and they’ll be jolted awake by the harsh reality. After all, the United States is an open and free society, and as bleak realities keep surfacing, as basic logic and common sense continue to be shattered, the other half of Americans who oppose Trump—along with a robust media, a community of public intellectuals with critical minds, and a variety of academics and experts—will step forward to denounce Trump’s slide toward dictatorship and his unconstitutional, unlawful actions. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will never stand idly by, and conscientious Republican officials at various levels will also raise objections—indeed, we are already hearing from former Vice President Mike Pence (彭斯), former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley (黑利), and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski (穆考斯基) from Alaska. Trump’s tyrannical ways and imperial ambitions stand little chance of succeeding, or at least not for very long—two years? Four years? There’s even a chance he could be impeached and forced out of office. As for China’s young “little pinks,” they are not so lucky. The hard times are still ahead for them. Every year from now on might be better than the one to follow. In other words, under Xi Jinping (習近平), every year in China is bound to be worse than the last, and the nation’s fortunes are in decline. On this front, Americans are indeed luckier. Maybe that’s democracy’s greatest advantage.

This brings me, in passing, to the deeply bewitched Chinese Trump supporters—a phenomenon that is hard to believe. Some have been so appalled by Trump’s moral void and his blatant distortion of right and wrong that their consciences have driven them to switch sides, turning from Trump fans into Trump critics. Yet, a good many obstinate diehards persist in defending his rhetoric, including a few well-known “big Vs” online commentators from mainland China. Who knows how many of them are simply too lacking in discernment to see Trump’s malice, and how many are clinging to him out of personal pride and an unwillingness to lose face. Having the courage to admit a mistake has nothing to do with the extent of one’s knowledge, education level, or social position; it hinges on one’s breadth of mind, moral character, and the courage to do what is right.

This translation is an independent yet well-intentioned effort by the China Thought Express editorial team to bridge ideas between the Chinese and English-speaking worlds. To read the Chinese version of this article, please go to:

http://hx.cnd.org/2025/02/26/%e6%98%8e%e5%85%89%e5%8d%8e%ef%bc%9a%e7%be%8e%e5%9b%bd%e4%b9%9f%e6%96%87%e9%9d%a9%e4%ba%86/