China trolls the Trump administration with AI, satire, and mockery

China trolls the Trump administration

As tensions escalate between the United States and China, Chinese internet users — from nationalist influencers to irreverent creatives — are unleashing a wave of online trolling aimed at President Donald Trump and his administration. Fuelled by artificial intelligence, satire, and sharp cultural commentary, the digital jabs are as creative as they are cutting, painting the US leadership as absurd, out of touch, and authoritarian, the New York Times reported.

From parody songs to drag satire

One of the most widely shared pieces of political satire is “The Song of MAGA,” a parody produced by a former YouTuber known for mocking Chinese President Xi Jinping. The video reimagines Trump, US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Elon Musk as Maoist-style Red Guards chanting pro-Trump slogans while holding red books beneath a giant banner proclaiming “SERVE THE PEOPLE.” Set to the melody of a 1960s Chinese revolutionary anthem, the lyrics mimic Cultural Revolution propaganda:

“Led by Chairman Trump, we shout ‘MAGA!’
Sworn to make America great again — hurrah!”

In the AI-generated video, Trump is cast as a cobbler, Rubio as a steamed bun vendor, Vance as a vegetable seller, and Musk as a construction worker hawking socks and toys — roles reflecting blue-collar Chinese life.

Vance, in particular, has become the focus of intense trolling after calling Chinese citizens “peasants.” In one A.I.-generated video, a heavily made-up character resembling Vance applies eyeliner while promoting “hillbilly brand eyeliner — made in China.” Another meme shows a cartoon peasant confronting Vance: “Do you realize your tariff policy will raise the price of your eyeliner?”

Vance is now widely known across Chinese social media as “the eyeliner man.”

Trump memes, Xi ghosting, and censorship workarounds

President Trump is also mocked for his apparent eagerness to rekindle trade talks with Xi Jinping, who has so far ignored him. One viral image shows a character resembling Trump lying on a pink bed in a pastel-themed bedroom, longingly staring at a phone with a portrait of Xi on the wall behind him. “Who’s going to call after a breakup?” quipped one user on Weibo. “Trump, do you think you’re filming a soap opera?”

Chinese meme culture thrives in part because mocking foreign leaders carries fewer risks than criticizing domestic ones. Memes that feature Xi Jinping are quickly scrubbed from the internet; the Chinese president is often referred to only through coded nicknames like “Winnie the Pooh” or “Mao II.” Trump, on the other hand, is fair game.

That said, censors still patrol the boundaries. Attempts to share images of Trump, Vance, and Musk working on a Nike factory line were recently blocked on WeChat, and many links to satirical content are quietly disappearing.

The Chinese Trump and the art of impersonation

One of the most popular figures in this wave of trolling is video blogger Chen Rui, a gifted impersonator known online as “Rui Ge.” Dubbed “the Chinese Trump,” Chen has built a huge following for his pitch-perfect imitations of the US president, complete with Trump’s signature gestures, cadence, and catchphrases.

In one skit, Chen scolds his mother after washing dishes, saying: “You’re not thanking me. You’d better be nice… Maybe tomorrow, I’m not going to wash the dishes. You have no cards.” His mother responds by spanking him with a bamboo back scratcher: “Do I have the cards now?”

Mockery amid real-world tension

The trolling reflects a broader shift in Chinese attitudes toward the US under the Trump administration. While Chinese state media has long painted Washington as hypocritical, liberal Chinese citizens — once hopeful about American democracy — are now using humour to highlight what they see as US authoritarianism, xenophobia, and chaos.

Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Musk’s role in dismantling US-funded news broadcasts like Radio Free Asia, and Vance’s offensive remarks have given Beijing both propaganda fodder and grassroots comic material. The Trump administration’s behaviour, some say, resembles the worst caricatures of authoritarianism once aimed only at China.

And in a tightly controlled media environment, trolling Trump offers a rare and relatively safe outlet for Chinese citizens to flex their political wit.

As one Weibo user put it: “Mocking Trump is like Chinese comedy night — finally, we get to laugh without getting arrested.”