Why Does Race Division Build the Republican Base?

Donald Trump just told four Freshman Congress women to go back home to their own countries.  They are all women of color.  They are all American citizens, three of whom were born in this country. The entire Republican leadership sat silently after it happened, saying nothing and large numbers of Republican supporters seemed to . . . laugh.  

There is a historical tradition of racism in this country. It exists. And telling people to go home the own country is EXACTLY one of the traditional ways racists would attack people of color. Before this President, if any Republican in the last 20 years had said this, they would have been drummed out of the party. Not now. This is a whole new world. What has changed? Is inclusiveness a pointless aspiration? Is it systemically unfair? What is it?

I appear on Press TV out of Iran to discuss. The dynamic is interesting and with growing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, they have continued interest in how Americans talk about this, see this, and deal with it.