And go back before them to the Birchers, who were the original Q-anon type conspiracy lunatics, with very deep pocketed supporters.
I recently read up on various conservative figures' comments during both Obama campaigns and the racism was overt and astonishing. And, Palin set the plate for Trump by repeatedly insisting that certain people were the "real Americans". The harm she did to the political system is horrific, her speech gave cover to the worse sorts of bigots.
The Republican playbook has been to coddle the racists and religious fanatics to insure their base votes, for at least the past 60 years.
Nixon teamed up with Strom Thurmond to block Wallace, and Reagan campaigned for overtly segregationist candidates in various places around the country. He was way further to the right than is commonly remembered and welcomed the support of Falwell and Robertson, both completely insane by any objective measures..
So, when you lie down with dogs. We'd like to think the country has moved on beyond that, especially with Obama having won twice, but, sadly, that's not the case.