It hasn’t changed, politicians are just less subtle about expressing their views. They don’t bother about trying to use dog whistle politics like showing the “welfare queen” or “Willie Horton” ads.
This is also not a Republican or Democratic thing. While yes, the Republicans have Trump, the Clintons also championed the get tough on crime “Three strikes you’re out” laws to protect the good citizens against evil non violent “inner city” criminals.
