So may people do not realize that the 'free market' is the only thing, and that everything is part of the free market, from the government to a literal market to the black market.
Every action has an equal an opposite reaction and nature abhors a vacuum. What is true in physics is also true in everything else.
No, I think you're onto something. I've known for awhile people, whether the US government, Intelligence community, or corporations were going to hijack Linux at some point, and I think all these changes and happenings in the community are the first fruits of those labors.
I have long suspected that AMD and Nvidia have deliberately been writing broken Linux drivers at Microsoft's behest, because when they lose the gamers, their downward slide will be irreversible.
For me, it didn't start with Trump. I first started to really notice it between 2006-2008, and it has gotten steadily worse since then, with a jump about a year leading up to election day 2016. I think a lot of it is CTR/Media Matters and similar groups answering to other interests.