I don't think the mean words are what was being referred to. The blatant character assassinations with potentially disastrous lawsuit after lawsuit from the private sector were rough, but people don't target the target alone anymore, they go after friends and family. Melania's social circle has tanked hard since Trump became president, his family suffers along with him, and that hurts more than them targeting you. If his wife was a weaker woman, a messy divorce and subsequent backstabbing from your own wife turning on you to keep her "friends" would be devastating.
Then after 2020 and his return to civilian life, the pressure went up to 11 with the felony trials, forced sale of his property for governmental fuckery, further character assassinations and attacks on his legacy, plus the disbarment from doing business in the area you've done it for decades, that would be such a low that quite a lot of people would tap out. Then when he continued to persevere in face of all this bullshit, the assassination attempts started rolling in. Arguably these failed attempts and felony convictions probably galvanized him to the Punished Trump arc, since there was clearly no backing out now, so all he could do was fight to the death, but fighting the leviathan that is government seems way harsher than dealing with the mob as it reaches its twilight years. I'd almost argue the mob is more reasonable and rational than the government, you know what they want and how far they're able to safely go, the government can take you for a decades long ride and then walk away like nothing happened just because you pissed off the wrong bureaucrat 20 years ago and they've been sharpening the knife waiting for their chance.