'Perverse, Sick Creep': Trump Under Fire For Post On Rob Reiner, Wife's Death
The remarks were immediately condemned across the political spectrum for their tone and timing.
- Trump blamed Rob Reiner's criticism for his parents' deaths.
- Reiner's son was arrested on suspicion of murder.
- Lawmakers from both parties condemned Trump's remarks.
Former US President Donald Trump triggered widespread outrage on Monday after posting what critics described as “perverse” and “sick” remarks suggesting that filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife were murdered because of Reiner’s criticism of him.
The comments, made on Trump’s Truth Social platform, came as tributes were pouring in for Reiner from across the entertainment industry, and amid developments in the police investigation into the couple’s deaths.
Trump’s Post Sparks Backlash
In his post, Trump claimed the Reiners had died “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.”
“He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession with President Donald J Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness,” Trump wrote.
The remarks were immediately condemned across the political spectrum for their tone and timing.
Arrest of Reiner’s Son Intensifies Reaction
Trump’s comments followed police confirmation that Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, had been taken into custody and booked into a Los Angeles jail on suspicion of murder, a development that deepened public anger over the former president’s post.
“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies,” Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X, distancing herself from Trump.
“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,” she added.
Rare Republican Criticism
Trump also faced unusually direct criticism from within Republican ranks.
“This is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Representative Thomas Massie said. “I guess my elected (Republican) colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they're afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it.”
Trump has a long history of inflammatory social media posts, but open condemnation from Republican lawmakers was once rare.
Former Trump Official, Democrats React
Miles Taylor, a former Homeland Security official in the Trump administration, accused the former president of “mocking the dead.”
“His attacks on (Republican senator) John McCain after the veteran's death pushed me to speak out from within his administration,” Taylor wrote. “(The) taunting of Rob Reiner's murder makes me even more determined to defy Trump.”
Democrats responded with equal fury. David Axelrod, former chief strategist to President Barack Obama, described Trump’s remarks as “perverse.”
“The absence of empathy & grace for the Reiner family in their moment of profound loss and grief is sad and revealing,” Axelrod said. “For @POTUS, his grievances trump their grief.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Trump had “lost it.”
“Now saying Rob and Michele Reiner caused their own murder because they didn't support him. So sick,” Murphy wrote.
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