President Donald J. Trump whacked a hornet’s nest with what many see as insensitive remarks about left-wing Hollywood director Rob Reiner, who, along with his wife, was tragically murdered by their own son over the weekend.
The acclaimed director of “When Harry Met Sally,” “A Few Good Men,” and “The Princess Bride,” and Michele Singer had their throats sliced in their Los Angeles home on Sunday following what was described as a heated argument with the troubled Nick Reiner at Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party the night before.
The grisly slayings brought an outpouring of grief and sympathy, but not from Trump, who on Monday ignited a firestorm when he took to Truth Social to take a final shot at one of his most savage critics, whom he suggested was a victim of the Trump Derangement Syndrome that Reiner himself had helped to spread for years.
Trump’s post predictably triggered Democrats and Hollywood celebs, but he also drew friendly fire from conservatives, including a Fox News panel that condemned his response to Reiner’s horrific end.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
On Monday’s edition of “Special Report,” Howard Kurtz declared that Reiner “was a mensch” and ripped Trump’s words as beneath the dignity of his office.
“Rob Reiner was a very liberal Democrat who had very strong criticism of President Trump,” he said. “And yet, I have to say, that for the president of the United States to take this family tragedy in which both Reiner and his wife were killed and say that it’s because of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome,’ I thought was well beneath him and beneath the office.”
“And I think it would have been better if the president had made no comment,” Kurtz added.
Anchor and host Bret Baier teed up a clip of Reiner’s remarks in the aftermath of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September, with the slain director condemning the public murder of the young conservative icon.
“I unfortunately saw the video of it, and it’s beyond belief what happened to him,” Reiner said. “And that should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable.”
Baier pointed out to Fox News contributor Guy Benson that the president has been on the receiving end of “pushback” from some Republicans over his remarks about Reiner.
“As he should,” Benson said, piling on. “There’s a time and place for politics and for trolling. A man being viciously murdered along with his wife, allegedly, at the hands of their own son, is not that time or that place. And for the president to have put this out the way that he did achieves nothing and reflects poorly.”
CNN also seized on Reiner’s remarks about Kirk’s murder as a bludgeon to wield against Trump.
(Video Credit: CNN)
But another Fox News personality of note, Greg Gutfeld, defended Trump after “The Five” co-host Harold Ford Jr. tried to shame the president over not walking back his remarks.
“If Joe Biden had said this about anybody, I would have attacked him and said he was completely wrong,” Ford said. “I do hope the president comes back and corrects himself.”
(Video Credit: Fox News)
“He was asked to, and he didn’t, and I think the thing is, you don’t have to like the things that he says all the time. That is why, in my filter, Trump is always words versus deeds,” Gutfeld responded.
“I don’t have to like what he says. In fact, I could hate what he says. But I can also think, in his brain, he’s gone, ‘Uh, this guy compared me to Hitler. He put a target on my back. I don’t like him.’ If it were me, I’d go like, ‘But I’m sorry he’s dead,’ but he can’t let that go? We don’t have to like it, I just look at the deeds, but I get why you’re upset,” he added.
Trump isn’t backing off his criticism of Reiner, and on Monday, he doubled down when asked by reporters in the Oval Office about the controversy.
President Trump on Rob Reiner: “I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned…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.” pic.twitter.com/s3Ui8K6Y0a
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 15, 2025
“Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person, as far as Trump is concerned,” the president responded, noting that Reiner was one of the top promoters of the Russigate hoax. “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, it was the Russia hoax. He was one of the people behind it.”
“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.
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