Trump defends his criticism of killed Hollywood director Rob Reiner
US President Donald Trump has renewed his attack on Rob Reiner, a long-time Trump critic, after his previous comments about the slain Hollywood director sparked widespread condemnation.
The US president told reporters the rule was “very bad for our country” and had previously written on Truth Social that Reiner’s death was linked to “Trump derangement syndrome”, a term he often uses to describe his critics.
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police arrested their son Nick on suspicion of murder.
They did not offer any justification for the case or any evidence that Reiner’s politics and criticisms of Trump played any role.
In a social media post describing the couple’s deaths as “very sad,” Trump criticized Reiner, saying: “He was known to drive people CRAZY with his intense obsession with President Donald J. Trump.”
These comments were widely criticized, including by prominent Republicans.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican who has clashed with Trump since the president returned to the White House in January, wrote of X: “Whatever you think of Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful rhetoric about a man who was just brutally murdered.”
He added: “I think my Republican elected colleagues, the Vice President, and the White House staff will ignore this because they’re afraid. I challenge anyone to defend this.”
Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump supporter and recent frequent critic, said “this is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies” and that the killings should be “met with empathy.”
Many senior members of Trump’s party appeared to stay away from these words. Republican Senator John Kennedy, who represents Louisiana, said he thought Trump should not have made those comments.
Kennedy said, “I guess a wise man once said nothing. Why? Because he was a wise man.” “I don’t think President Trump should have said anything. I think when the president says things like that, it detracts from his policy accomplishments.”
Reiner was a lifelong Democrat and prominent liberal activist who frequently spoke out against Trump.
For example, he said in 2017 that Trump was “mentally unfit” for office. And as recently as October, Reiner said he believed Trump had ushered in an era of “total autocracy” in the United States.
Hours after the social media post, Trump repeated his thoughts about Reiner in comments to reporters in the Oval Office, describing the director as an “erratic individual” who was partially “behind” allegations of collusion between Russia and Trump’s team.
“I was not a fan of Rob Reiner in any way,” he said.
Trump has criticized political enemies in the past after their deaths.
For example, following the 2019 death of Arizona Sen. John McCain, with whom he clashed regularly, Trump said Trump had “never been a fan” and said he “never would be.”
In another incident the same year, Trump joked that the late Democratic congressman John Dingell might be “looking” at him from his grave, a comment widely interpreted as a suggestion that Dingell was in hell.
In its statement following the statements about Dingell, the White House said that the president was “just ranting.”
Reiner, 78, was known for directing many iconic films across a variety of genres, including This is Spinal Tap, Stand by Me, Misery and A Few Good Men.
He married actress, photographer and producer Michele in 1989, and he later recalled that they met during the filming of When Harry Met Sally, one of his best-known films. The couple had three children; Among them was Nick (32).
Michele, 68, was the owner of the Reiner Light photography agency and production house.
