"Rob Reiner Was Bad For US": Trump's Shocker After Hollywood Director's Death

The United States President Donald Trump has caused outrage by linking the killings of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner to their personal dislike of his presidency. In a post on his social media network, Trump said Reiner and his wife were killed "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind-crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."

Even for Trump's record, the unsubstantiated claim intended to decry his opponents in the face of a tragedy was seen as shocking. The remarks came as police were still investigating the deaths of the director and his wife as an apparent homicide. 

The couple was found dead in their Brentwood home in Los Angeles on Sunday after suffering stab wounds. Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on Monday.

So far, no charges were listed in the arrest, according to the booking statement, and his bail was set at $4 million.

What Trump Said

"A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind-crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He said Reiner "was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness."

The president did not mention his personal connection to Reiner's wife, who was a photographer. Peter Osnos, the original publisher of "The Art of the Deal," confirmed Monday that Michele Singer took the cover image of Trump's 1987 bestseller.

Asked about the criticism later on Monday at an event in the Oval Office, Trump maintained his stance.  

"I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned," the president said. 

"I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country," he continued.

The president did not mention his personal connection to Reiner's wife, who was a photographer. Peter Osnos, the original publisher of "The Art of the Deal", confirmed Monday that Michele Singer took the cover image of Trump's 1987 bestseller.

Backlash Over Trump's Remark

Trump has a long track record of inflammatory remarks, but his comments in a social media post were a drastic departure from the role presidents typically play in offering a message of consolation or tribute after the death of a public figure. His message drew criticism even from conservatives and his supporters and laid bare Trump's unwillingness to rise above political grievance in moments of crisis.

Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has bucked much of his party's lockstep agreement with the president, criticised Trump for the comment.

"Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered," Massie wrote in a post on X. 

"I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they're afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it."

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican whom Trump branded a "traitor" for disagreeing with him, responded to Trump's message by saying, "This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies."

"This statement is wrong. Regardless of one's political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son," New York Republican Representative Mike Lawler said on X. 

Conservative commentator Erick Erickson also drew parallels with the calls for civility after the September assassination of Charlie Kirk.

"All of those people who lost their jobs for their disgusting tweets about Charlie Kirk's assassination are staring at the President of the United States' social media account in disbelief," Erickson wrote. 

Reiner, whose credits include This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally, was a longtime Democratic donor and critic of Trump. He was one of the most active Democrats in the film industry and regularly campaigned on behalf of liberal causes and hosted fundraisers. He was a vocal critic of Trump, calling him in a 2017 interview with Variety "mentally unfit" to be president and "the single most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States."