U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on the late filmmaker Rob Reiner following the killing of Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at their Los Angeles home.
The couple were found dead on Sunday afternoon at their $13.5 million mansion after what authorities described as a violent confrontation with their son, Nick Reiner, who has since been arrested and charged with murder.
In public statements and online posts, Trump appeared to attribute the tragedy to what he called Reiner’s long-standing hostility toward him, repeatedly invoking the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The term is commonly used by conservatives to describe extreme opposition to the president.
Trump described Reiner as a “once very talented movie director and comedy star,” claiming his death was “reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction” with what Trump labeled TDS.
He continued by alleging that Reiner’s criticism of him had become obsessive and irrational, writing that Reiner “drove people crazy” with his fixation on Trump, particularly as the current administration, in Trump’s words, “surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness.”
The comments sparked backlash from Hollywood figures and some Republicans, who condemned the remarks as offensive and inappropriate in the wake of a violent family tragedy.
Trump later defended his remarks when questioned by reporters in the Oval Office, stating he was never a supporter of Reiner and accusing the director of damaging his own career through what Trump again described as “Trump derangement syndrome.”
“I thought he was very bad for our country,” Trump said, also accusing Reiner of promoting the so-called “Russia hoax,” the allegation that Trump was compromised by the Kremlin during his first term.
Despite the criticism, Trump showed no sign of retracting or softening his statements.
