Indeed, these past few years have really recontextualized The Handmaid's Tale for me from an alternative history fantasy to an almost run of the mill "20 minutes into the future" fiction.
I'm not sure this has anything to do with the current president. This type of cowboy judge shit has been happening for decades, we just rarely hear about it.
Atwood didn’t write it as a possible dystopian future. Every facet of the story takes place somewhere in the world right now. She has pointed this out herself on social media.