Watching videos glorifying Trump, made by Chinese bloggers on Chinese platforms, wasn’t something I thought I’d be doing back in October.
 
It was a chilly day in Beijing; me and my dad were watching coverage of the 2020 American election when my dad – a Chinese-American national – started criticizing figures such as AOC and Bernie Sanders from the Democratic Party. I disagreed. I asked him, “Why do you support Trump?” In response, he sent me three videos, each produced by Chinese bloggers, arguing that Trump embodies the American spirit and its values, is on track to win the election and is a role model for all.
 
The first video took footage and interviews of Trump supporters at rallies across the state of Arizona to show how Trump is representative of American values. Blaring horns, parking lots swarming with semi-trucks and a sea of red, blue and white that blanketed out the brown deserts of Arizona. No matter your political beliefs, the patriotism was undeniable. These supporters held Trump up like a savior, and truly believed he was ‘making America great’ every single day.
 
The second video outlined Trump’s chances at winning the upcoming election. Referencing both American and Chinese media companies that believe Trump will win, it states that while Biden is slated to win the presidency, Trump will eventually triumph by a significant margin. The message is powerful, albeit borderline delusional.
 
The third argues for Trump’s character. His work as a real estate developer shows his ‘business savviness’; his numerous campaign promises and his pledge to uphold them shows that he is ‘trustworthy’; his packed campaign rallies are a sign that he is a man of the people; and his willingness to challenge the political elite embodies his ‘bravery’ and willingness to make ‘sacrifices’, avoiding any evidence that paints Trump in a bad light and portraying him like a saint instead.
 
The persuasive power of these videos is obvious, but the fact that these videos were produced by Chinese bloggers and viewed by Chinese-U.S. citizens like my dad surprised me. To him and many in China, American politics has a very marginal impact on their lives, and can therefore seem more like a drama-filled TV show. They don’t care about the results, because the election is so intangible to their daily lives it has become a joke or mild point of interest.
 
Yet there are far more opinions and perspectives regarding Trump than the one my dad holds or ones the videos show.
 
 Trump has a nickname in China: “Chuan Jianguo”, which roughly translates to “Trump, founder of our country”, jokingly putting Trump on par with legendary figures in China such as Mao Zedong. Trump’s nickname demonstrates a public belief that despite his anti-China stance, the instability he has fostered within the United States has aided China’s rise to superpower status, helping China gain power and influence in the world.  
 
 
For example, some members of my extended family have said they believe Trump can call the virus the “Chinese” or “Wuhan” virus all he wants; his ignoring of the pandemic only serves to weaken the U.S. They think Trump’s actions indirectly gives China room to grow and to challenge the United States with each day he is president.
 
Some people support Biden, believing he will bring a more mellow, stable and traditional approach to foreign policy, others have given him the moniker “Bai-Deng” – a word play on his name in Chinese that means “defeated-Biden” – just as they’ve given one to Trump.
           
I’ve found Donald Trump and this election to be enlightening in terms of what America will look like when I return home to study in two years.
 
Ever since China opened up to the rest of the world, in the 1980s, the chance to go to the U.S. and study or work was viewed as a once in a lifetime opportunity by Chinese citizens; my parents got their higher education and U.S. citizenship to improve their lives.

Now though, even the idea of being in the U.S. evokes a sense of danger. My classmates are increasingly looking at European or Canadian schools rather than U.S. colleges; friends, family and teachers regularly flinch when talking about traveling to the U.S. My relatives often try to persuade my cousin, who’s studying in the U.S., to come back to China.
 
Whether in the U.S. or China, I’ve always heard of the ‘American Dream’ as a facet of modern American life, espoused by politicians, public figures, and more. I’ve since realized that there is no textbook definition of the ‘American Dream’. Each person has their own version of that dream, the belief that life could be better, however it may be, in the land of the free. I once thought, perhaps naively, that more than the promises of prosperity and security, the American Dream should be about acceptance, of cultures, ideals, beliefs, and people from all corners of the globe. I hoped that, even if we didn’t live up to these principles all the time, that we always strived to realize them for the benefit of others.
 
The past 6 months or even the past 4 years have challenged that hope. The drama over the election, the squabbles and division, make me feel as though the pursuit of change for the acceptance of all people is no longer something my country strives for. I’m afraid that in two, four or even eight years, when I return home and have the power to vote, that I will I reflect back on this moment and find that the political struggle, the protests, the promises to return to a unified America, will have amounted to nothing at all.