President Donald Trump has doubled down on his heartless response to the murder of Rob Reiner, insisting that the slain director was “deranged” and “bad for our country.”
Despite the backlash Trump faced on Monday for suggesting that Reiner’s death was due to the “anger he caused others” by being critical of the president, Trump refused to back away from the controversial comments when asked about them in the Oval Office.
“Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned,” he said on Monday afternoon.
“The Russia hoax, he was one of the people behind it. I think he hurt himself career-wise; 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.”
The president’s comments came the day after Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Reiner, 68, were found dead at their Los Angeles home.
Their 32-year-old son, Nick, has since been booked on suspicion of their murder and is being held on a $4 million bail.
The investigation is ongoing, but reports suggest that Reiner and his wife got into a “very loud argument” with their son at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night.
The couple were reportedly at their “wits’ end” with Nick, who sources say bounced between rehab and homelessness as a teenager and has continued to suffer from drug addiction and mental health problems.
After news emerged about the pair’s death on Sunday night, some of Trump’s supporters sought to claim the moral high ground.
“You won’t see people on the right celebrating the horrific murder of Rob Reiner and his wife. Compare to the Left’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s murder,” alt-right activist and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec initially posted.
Jack, seems like your president may disagree with you. Sick. https://t.co/keSqssLjL8
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 15, 2025
But Posobiec and others in the president’s orbit were left red-faced after Trump’s Truth Social post, which claimed that Reiner was a “tortured and struggling” director who was killed due to his own “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a phrase often used by Trump and his supporters to dismiss criticism of him as irrational or hysterical.
“He 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, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before,” Trump added.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, including MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon, and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie, denounced the president’s stunning remarks.
But so too did members of his MAGA base, with some calling for the president to take down the comments.
“I respect you so much but this was heartless and uncalled for,” said one voter on Truth Social.
Bacon, a rare critic of the president, told CNN: “I’d expect to hear something like this from a drunk guy at a bar, not the President of the United States. Can the President be presidential?”
Robert Reiner was a popular sitcom actor before he shifted to directing, overseeing films such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” and “The Princess Bride.”
He went on to become a notable figure in Democratic politics, using his fame to advocate for issues such as gay marriage and gun reform.
He was also a longtime critic of Trump, describing the president in a 2017 Vanity Fair interview as “mentally unfit” to be president.
He has also previously described the president as an “existential threat” to democracy, a pathological liar, and someone who was compromised by or overly deferential to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As Trump doubled down on his slur against Reiner, tributes poured in from Hollywood actors, fans and others.
Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 15, 2025
Robin Wright, who starred in “The Princess Bride,” said the director was “one of the most loving, compassionate, and kind people I have ever known.”
“This Is Spinal Tap” actor Christopher Guest and his wife Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement they were “numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths.”
“Our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them,” they added.
Barack and Michelle Obama also paid tribute to the slain couple, with the former president writing on X: “Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”
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