America has always been this way as various other folks have indicated. But as other nations have grown in prominence (good and bad), that's taken some shine off of us. And as Trump and his administration made it seem safe for people to exhibit and defend what was previously unacceptable behavior and speech, negativity grew and other nations watched and became more critical of what was happening in this country. That criticism was not received well, as one might suspect, because of the false image we've had of ourselves since before the nation was formed.