Trump's Stupid Remarks Against Rob Reiner Dead, Sparks Push Back
 |
| "Stand by Me" Reiner 1986 (by Douglas Buck) |
President Donald Trump lashed out at Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner after he and his wife were stabbed to death in their home, sparking pushback from several Republican lawmakers.
Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday morning that Reiner's death was "reportedly due to the anger he caused by others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction … known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."
Trump called Reiner "a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star."
Reiner, who is known for his Hollywood hits like "The Princess Bride" and "A Few Good Men," has been an outspoken critic of Trump. During an interview with MS NOW in October, he said that "our Democracy is being taken away from us" under the current administration.
Watch the ABC News Special, "The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy," on ABC at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT, Tuesday, and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The couple’s son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The son was taken into custody on Sunday night and is being held without bail, but had yet to be formally charged, according to authorities.
Trump doubled down on his comments later Monday in the Oval Office when asked if he stood by his social media post.
"Well, I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned," Trump said of Reiner.
"He became like a deranged person. Trump derangement syndrome. So, 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," Trump added.
Trump's social media post prompted rare backlash from several Republican lawmakers.
New York Rep. Mike Lawler, a GOP moderate, called the entirety of the president’s post "wrong."
"Regardless of one’s political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son. It’s a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period," he said in a post on X.
Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie called the post "inappropriate."
"Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered," Massie said 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."
Former Trump ally, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, said the death of Reiner and his wife is a "tragedy" and that their "remaining children are left in serious mourning and heartbreak."
"This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies," Greene wrote on X.
When asked about Trump's post, Speaker Mike Johnson did not directly criticize the president but offered prayers to the Reiner family.
Johnson said the murders is "not only an unspeakable family tragedy" but a "reminder of the senseless violence and evil that is so rampant in our society."
"At this time, my thoughts go to Scripture," he added.
Comments