But there is nothing very surprising about what is happening, other than the election result.
If an ideology is pushed into a corner, it gets nastier.
Many conservatives seem to despise Trump for lowering the tone. Perhaps they should be grateful to him for shaking things up a little.
There are two preferred positions for the enemies of mediocracy [...]
Option 2: they can play by the rules, and compete by offering a more aggressive brand of mediocracy, with emphasis on authoritarianism and/or military activity.
(Mediocracy p.58)