My readings have placed the start of rabid right-wing politics to the Regan administration and the cozying-up to the likes of the Christian Coalition and Moral Majority.  The Tea Party was a direct product of those groups and Trump is courting them with insincere talk of being pro-life/anti abortion (if I had money I'd bet there are stories out there of women terminating Trump pregnancies).  Until the Reagan years, there were always highly respected and respectful Republicans who worked across the aisle, socialized together, and operated mostly on a basis of positive regard for one another as public servants.  I haven't seen any of that in my lifetime, and it certainly is only a distant memory for many at this time.  They have destroyed much of our democracy from within.