Plain and simple; in 2017 Trump issued a permission slip to the embedded haters in the country to come out from the shadows.
Then, issued another to act on it.
Today's reality.
I'd contend that Trump's hate-mongering, big lies, xenophobia/otherness social division tactics began long before 2017; since his 1987 trip to RU. His years of Birtherism in coordination with Putin's GRU disinformation trolls and Fox Lie Parrots all mimicking Trump's lies goes back to like 2008ish..
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Then, issued another to act on it.
Today's reality.