'Set the stage for a demagogue': Presidential historian explains rise of Trump

Former President Donald Trump's uniquely successful rise to power over the Republican Party, and his durable support even in the face of criminal indictments, is a product of unique changes to the cultural and media landscape that have only recently become possible.

That's the view of presidential historian Michael Beschloss, who joined MSNBC's Ari Melber to explain his thinking.

"I'm curious what you think we can make of the history as it unfolds," said Melber. "And what in our past shows us guidance for things that were unprecedented and then have a precedent, like holding these government officials, who are presumed innocent, accountable? Putting them on trial for coup attempts?"

Instead of the media per se, Beschloss credits the rise of the Internet in the mid-1990s, and the beginning of "Fox News" (that isn't really a news site, it presents current events as entertainment).