Memes, inspirational quotes, and even dance videos have brought President-elect Donald Trump to a new height of fame on Chinese social media since his election.
On Xiaohongshu, a media platform most similar to Instagram, the search term “Trump” shows more than 200,000 posts on the topic and 880 million views, with recent top posts each accruing more than 72,000 views and thousands of comments.
Videos of the president-elect dancing to the song YMCA by the band Village People have been circulating in Chinese cyberspace.
Many commenters find the content funny, calling him a jokester or comedian, while others view it as inspirational, seeing the older soon-to-be two-time American president as a role model.
Trump’s popularity stems from a kind of vitality and enthusiasm that he displayed throughout his campaign, analysts said, attracting many young Chinese who grew up looking up to more somber and rigid communist idols within their own country.
Videos of Elon Musk at a pre-election Trump rally have also made an impression on Chinese social media platform users. On these posts, commenters describe him as “a good kind of capitalist” and “someone who will make America strong.”
‘They need an idol’
These impressions come amidst a general malaise facing the Chinese economy that has sparked the young Chinese people to ‘lie flat’, meaning to cease striving for a better life in face of a competitive job market and other pressures.
One comment commonly posted under many Trump-related posts reads: “He is 78 years old, was hit by a bullet in the ear and bled profusely, was convicted of a felony and nearly sent to jail, had appealed over 60 times but still continued to work hard to find a job and found the best job for himself. What excuse do you have for not working hard?”
Liu, a writer from Jiangsu province, said Trump’s difficult path back to the presidency is precisely what inspires Chinese youth when compared to the traditional Communist Party heroes. Liu only gave his surname, because talking to foreign media is dangerous, he says.
“They need an idol who represents the possibility of individual success. Trump fits this image: he gets stronger with each setback, continually fights back, and still works hard even at an older age,” Liu said, adding that “more importantly, young Chinese long for the kind of fair and just environment that has allowed Trump to succeed.”
Trump stands in direct contrast to many revered Chinese figures, such as Xi Jinping, Mao Zedong, and communist soldier Lei Feng — a model hero in China.
“Their lives seem too hard and are not the kind of lives young people in China aspire to,” Liu said, adding that Trump stands for something different: the individualistic, opportunistic ‘American Dream’
“Whether you can wear a gold bracelet before New Years is all up to you!” comments one user ‘Sleepy Orange’ under a campaign rally video, referencing gold as an important gift typically exchanged on the Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. More than 2,000 people liked this comment.
Liu said he also appreciates Trump’s straightforwardness, as he doesn’t preach lofty ideals and morals but is practical and realistic. Liu described Chinese authorities and their political slogans as “vague and empty.”
Popularity reflects dislike of Xi, says influencer
Chen Weiyu, a Chinese media influencer living in the United States, told VOA that Trump’s popularity on Chinese social media represents a deep disdain toward Chinese leaders, calling people’s engagement with his content a form of “deprogramming.”
“Rather than admiration for Trump himself, it’s more about a rejection and opposition to Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. By expressing their liking for Trump, they are in fact expressing their dislike and opposition to Xi Jinping,” Chen said.
She stressed that people at the bottom of society in China, struggling to survive in an economy controlled by communist elites, feel that no one is concerned about or advocating for them.
In contrast, working-class individuals facing unemployment in the United States can use their votes to elect a leader who they believe will represent their interests and create a better policy environment for them.
Chen also attributed the abundance of Trump content on Chinese platforms to the increasing prevalence of virtual private networks as a way of accessing information that is normally forbidden in China.
However, Zhou “Zuola” Shuguang, one of the first Chinese citizen journalists to relocate to Taiwan, said the popularity of Trump on Chinese social media may have the “tacit approval” of the Chinese Communist Party.
Beijing’s censorship system is consistently strict about controlling content, so the fact that Trump-related content is able to spread widely on social media suggests that the CCP is intentionally allowing the content to be seen, Zhou told VOA.
“In other words, if Trump’s content appears on Chinese social media, it means that Trump is not seen as a major threat by the CCP,” he said.
While Trump-related content is getting clicks, not all of them are positive.
“It’s not a good thing for Trump to come back, God bless China” said a netizen in one comment. Others simply poke fun at the president-elect, the color of his hair and the way his makeup makes him look on stage.
“60% of the tariffs will be given to China, how many free trade enterprises are going to be suppressed,” reads another comment liked by nearly 1,000 people.
Katherine Michaelson, Samuel Hui contributed to this report.
