A “deranged person,” “bad for our country,” “tortured and struggling.”
These are some of the words President Donald Trump used to describe Rob Reiner, after the filmmaker was murdered on Sunday.
Social media users were quick to compare Reiner’s message after Charlie Kirk’s assassination with Trump’s statements.
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home, a crime for which their son has been booked.
Highlights
- Donald Trump called Rob Reiner 'deranged' and blamed him for causing anger through 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' after Reiner’s murder.
- Reiner condemned the assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk and emphasized forgiveness, contrasting Trump’s reaction to Reiner's death.
- Social media users and commentators compared Trump's remarks on Reiner's death to Reiner's dignified response to Kirk’s assassination.
Instead of sharing his condolences, Trump wrote a lengthy Truth Social post and then doubled down on it.
Social media users compared Trump’s reaction to Reiner’s murder with the late filmmaker’s remarks following the Charlie Kirk assassination
Image credits: Amy Sussman/Getty Images
In the post, Trump said Reiner, who was a strong critic of the president, “reportedly” died due to the “anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction” with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
In a 2017 interview with Variety, Reiner called Trump “mentally unfit” to be president. He described Trump as “the single most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of the United States.”
In 2024, Reiner told MSNBC that another term under Trump could turn the U.S. into a “full-on autocracy” within a year. In July last year, he said, “It’s time to stop f*****g around. If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy.”
“Well, I wasn't a fan of his at all,” Trump said during a press conference at the Oval Office on Monday. “He was a deranged person, as far as Trump is concerned.”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Trump made the statement despite receiving flak for a Truth Social post he made earlier in the day:
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump continued, “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.”
“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,” Trump said.
Political commentator Ed Krassenstein, among others, made an X post comparing Trump’s statements to Reiner’s reaction to the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
Reiner, a Democrat, said at the time on Piers Morgan Uncensored, “Absolute horror, and I unfortunately saw the video of it. It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.”
The president said Reiner had ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’
Reiner added, “And I felt like what his wife said at the service at the memorial they had was exactly right. I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus and I believe in ‘do unto others’ and I believe in forgiveness, and what she said to me was beautiful. She forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.”
Krassenstein captioned the post, “Compare that to Trump’s disgusting tweet about Rob Reiner’s death.”
Many other users on X brought to attention the cancel culture and real-life consequences that followed people who celebrated the conservative commentator’s death.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had called for an investigation into members of the U.S. armed forces found to be critical of Kirk.
A November 2025 Reuters investigation revealed that over 600 Americans were fired from their jobs over their comments about the assassination.
“These people got hundreds of people fired for even mildly criticizing Charlie Kirk,” one X user said, sharing a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.
Image credits: themaxburns/X
Max Burns, a Democratic strategist, wrote, “I don’t want to hear another sanctimonious word from the Republicans who accused Democrats of not showing enough sadness when Charlie Kirk died. Donald Trump's message about Rob and Michele Reiner’s death is a monstrosity.”
Image credits: ColMoeDavis/X
“Remember 3 months ago when the MAGAs lost their damned minds over insensitive comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder and people ended up getting canceled?” Moe Davis, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, wrote on X.
“Imagine if the President was held to the same standard as a high school teacher, a flight attendant, or a Home Depot worker,” he added.
Users also compared the responses from Democratic leaders—including former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Barack Obama—to Charlie Kirk’s murder.