"authoritarian mindset"
Excellant point!
I think that the mindset comes from subliminal seduction. TV nation is tired wanting to watch light entertainment and also watches the news. In this relaxed state political and world views (along with consumerism) seep into the unconscious. If questioned about their views they would never consciously admit they came from TV. The TV becomes the unacknowledged authority.

In the last election, a big change happened. All reporting about Trump was extremely negative, and yet he won for various reasons. The main reason being a complete rejection of the status-quo narrative of hypocrisy - "It can't get any better at home and we're winning the war." 

As Trump bumbles through the halls of power, the media narrative is that the country must get rid of him, at any cost, even though there is no plan of what to replace him with. This leaves the country very vulnerable to something worse to come along.