Rick Perlstein in The Infernal Triangle on what Trump did which turned out to release US cruelty.
"Cognitive decline" and "disinhibition," all too often, become our ritual alibi for how effectively Trump was inviting his supporters to revel in the pleasure of his unmitigated cruelty, licensing them to practice such cruelty themselves—which they are now all too free to do.
Tis true, let me see if I can alter this.