US President Donald Trump has ignited a firestorm of criticism for his reaction to the tragic deaths of acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner. The couple were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday night, 14 December 2025.
A Family Tragedy and a Political Storm
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested the couple's 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, on suspicion of murder. As tributes poured in for the beloved Hollywood figures, President Trump chose his social media platform, Truth Social, to offer a starkly different perspective.
He described Rob Reiner as a "tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star." The president then controversially suggested the killings were motivated by politics, claiming the filmmaker 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."
Bipartisan Backlash and Hollywood Fury
The remarks drew immediate and fierce rebuke from figures across the political spectrum and the entertainment industry. At a press conference on Monday 15 December, President Trump doubled down, stating, "I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape or form," and called him "very bad for our country."
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former ally, publicly broke with the president on this issue. She posted on X, stating plainly, "This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies." Her sentiment was echoed by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who called Trump's discourse "inappropriate and disrespectful."
Jenna Ellis, a former lawyer for Trump, also condemned the response, drawing a parallel to the unified condemnation from the right over celebratory reactions to the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Celebrity Condemnation and a Question of Decency
Hollywood voices were swift and severe in their criticism. British broadcaster Piers Morgan urged the president to delete the post, calling it a "dreadful thing to say about a man who just got murdered by his troubled son."
Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger labelled the statement "disgusting and vile." On ABC's The View, actress Whoopi Goldberg delivered an impassioned critique, referencing Trump's previous comments on Charlie Kirk. "Have you no shame? No shame at all, can you get any lower?" she asked, concluding, "You ain't my president man."
The incident has highlighted deep divisions and raised questions about the boundaries of political rhetoric in the face of personal tragedy, uniting critics from both sides of the aisle in their dismay at the President's chosen response.
