President Donald Trump on Monday brushed off criticism of his comments about the apparent murders of filmmaker and comedian Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
Trump drew widespread backlash after a Truth Social post Monday morning in which he attributed Reiner's death to the "anger he caused others" through what Trump called "TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME."
"A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood," Trump wrote. "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.
"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. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!"
Reiner, 78, and his wife, 70, to whom he had been married for 36 years, were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday, according to law enforcement.
Investigators believe the couple suffered stab wounds.
Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, was reportedly taken into police custody as a suspect, though authorities have said the investigation remains ongoing.
Trump was asked at the White House whether he stood by the post, which drew condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike. His reply aired live on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 free online streaming platform.
"Well, I wasn't a fan of his at all," Trump said. "He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned. He said, he knew it was false, in fact, it's the exact opposite, that I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. You know, the Russia hoax. He was one of the people behind it.
"I think he hurt himself careerwise. 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's post marked a sharp departure from the tone presidents typically adopt when responding to the death of a public figure.
But Reiner, a longtime supporter of liberal causes and Democrat candidates, was an outspoken critic of Trump.
He called Trump "mentally unfit" to serve as president, accused him of "treason," and said the political climate under the Trump administration was "beyond McCarthy era-esque."
Still, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., condemned Trump's Truth Social post, writing on X that it was "wrong."
"Regardless of one's political views, no one should be subjected to violence, let alone at the hands of their own son," Lawler said. "It's a horrible tragedy that should engender sympathy and compassion from everyone in our country, period."
Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., also criticized the post and urged Americans to put prayer above politics.
"A father and mother were murdered at the hands of their troubled son," Bice wrote on X. "We should be lifting the family up in prayer, not making this about politics. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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