Donald Trump’s niece has labeled him “depraved” and “damaged” for his double-barreled outburst at Rob Reiner, the Hollywood film director murdered alongside his wife.
The Stand by Me and When Harry Met Sally director, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, were attacked at their home in Brentwood, California, on Sunday afternoon. Their 32-year-old son Nick has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
But as tributes poured in for the filmmaker, Trump took to Truth Social to slam him as a “struggling” man with “obvious paranoia” who may have brought his death upon himself. He suggested Reiner’s “Trump Derrangement Syndrome” contributed to his killing.
Given a chance to walk back on his remarks, Trump doubled down instead. Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president, using the third person, said Reiner “was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned.”
Reacting to his comments, his niece—and frequent critic—Mary L. Trump, posted on her Substack, calling her uncle “depraved” and “deviant.”
“Congratulations, Donald. Once again, you have gone out of your way to prove, to anyone who doesn’t already know, that you are a depraved, deviant, damaged little man who cannot bear the thought that there are people in this world who are talented, valued, and loved—three things you are not,” she wrote.
“You cannot stomach the thought that anybody else, for any reason, would take the spotlight,” she added. “And who are you without that? The most fitting punishment for you would be a mirrorless room without access to the internet or sycophants who continue to believe or pretend to believe that anything you do or say matters. You are beyond redemption.”
Trump’s remarks caused consternation across the political divide. His own fans lamented the original Truth Social post, as did Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies. Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy, especially when it ends in murder,” Greene, who is leaving Congress next month after breaking with Trump on a string of issues, posted on X.
Even Trump superlackey and CNN commentator Scott Jennings thought the president was in the wrong.
“I think he should have said nothing,” Jennings said on NewsNight Monday.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie struck a similar tone. “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.”
Massie may have been right. Posed with Trump’s comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to condemn his boss. “I don’t do ongoing commentary about everything that’s said by everybody in government every day,” Johnson replied when questioned by reporters over the posts.
Changing the subject, he added, “We are trying to bring down healthcare costs for the American people. They’re in very important votes, very important issues, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
The White House has been approached for comment.
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