The rhetoric has only amplified in negative ways since he came on the scene in 2015. I don't know who kicked it off, and don't think it matters. Both sides are equally guilty for the hatred they've spewed.
Yes they most certainly are.
[0] https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/01/politics/donald-trump-liz-che...
You generally don't give a rifle to people you want to kill. Trump was making an obvious and anodyne point, which has been made time and again, in song and story, which is that war hawks generally don't fight in the wars they cheer for.