New and scary is the degree to which it's become normal and accepted in mainstream press and the general populace.

So... if we're talking presidents, this goes straight to Bush and Obama. I would say Obama in particular because he was supposed to be a bulwark against such things.

However we are discussing why is Trump scary. Why is he more scary than status quo or, say, Hillary? There is a pronounced trend towards a police state, Trump isn't going to stop it, but then I don't see anyone who would and who has a chance at getting to a position where he could.