I don’t seem to remember any in the previous congress, especially in the House, referring to Obama as a miscreant, a traitor, as mentally unstable, as a bigot, a misogynist, as a racist, the puppet of a hostile foreign power…
They didn’t because Obama wasn’t. Trump is all that and more (nepotist, bully, serial liar, can’t read more than picture books, believes himself above the law…)
A classic debate move is to try to change the terms of the conversation. In this case it’s a classic whataboutism. Can’t whatabout your way outa the racism directed at Obama from day one.