You don't see how that kind of rhetoric leads to things like deportation demands? It's dehumanizing.
Calling Chinese people 'trash' or something vile like that would be dehumanizing. Brainwashing, in varying degrees, is very much something that happens to humans and is not dehumanizing at all. Why do you think many Governments and corporations spend so much money on propaganda/advertisements? Why does the Chinese Government control every piece of media in the country?
I do understand that the word brainwashing does get used for Chinese people a lot (as it does for Russian and North Korean, I wonder why?) but what would be a better fit? Coerced? Groomed?
nobody would describe white Americans, who have been supporting Trump at above 50% since he's been elected, as brainwashed.
Isn't that different because they have a choice in the matter? They have access to media that shows how despicable Trump is and still will vote for him.