How did media outlets and politicians react to Reiner's comment about Trump's shooter?
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Executive summary
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social linking the killings of Rob Reiner and his wife to what he called “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,” then defended and doubled down on those remarks in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office; that provoked widespread condemnation from media outlets, many politicians across parties, and even some conservatives [1] [2] [3]. Outlets from PBS, BBC and CNBC framed the post as a shocking departure from expected presidential condolence, and publications across the political spectrum described the reaction as “disgusting,” “vile,” or “beneath the office,” while some MAGA influencers and a minority of right-leaning voices defended or contextualized the attack [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. “A shocking departure”: mainstream press says president failed customary restraint
PBS and BBC framed Trump’s post as a stark break with presidential norms, noting he attacked Reiner while police were still investigating and then repeated the “deranged” and “Trump derangement syndrome” language to reporters — coverage that emphasized the unusual timing and tone of the president’s response to a homicide [4] [1].
2. “Disgusting” and “vile”: celebrities, lawmakers and liberal outlets condemned the comments
The Guardian and other outlets reported swift condemnation from celebrities and lawmakers who called the post “disgusting” or “vile,” with public figures like Whoopi Goldberg and others explicitly denouncing using a slain man’s death as a vehicle for political barbs [5] [8].
3. Conservative media and Republicans mostly rebuked Trump as well
Coverage in KTLA, Axios and Mediaite documented rare conservative pushback: Fox News’ panel publicly criticized the president’s remarks as “beneath the office,” and GOP figures including Jenna Ellis and some MAGA-aligned voices said the post was inappropriate — Axios highlighted that some prominent MAGA figures broke with Trump and urged restraint [6] [9] [2] [7].
4. A split among pro-Trump voices: defense, justification, or silence
Multiple accounts show a mixed reaction on the right: while some MAGA influencers and supporters sought to justify or contextualize Trump’s criticism of Reiner, other right-leaning commentators and former allies publicly condemned using the murder for political attacks, illustrating a right‑of‑center fissure over tone and boundaries [2] [7].
5. Newsrooms emphasized facts the president’s post did not provide
Reporting across CNBC, Forbes and Deadline stressed that authorities had arrested Reiner’s son on suspicion of murder and that there was “no current indication” the killings were politically motivated — a factual counterpoint to Trump’s implication that Reiner’s political activity led to his death [10] [3] [11].
6. Editorial and opinion presses escalated the moral critique
Publications such as The New Republic and Euronews framed Trump’s response as emblematic of a broader pattern of using tragedy for political gain; The New Republic called the post “unhinged” and Euronews labeled it “vile,” underlining how editorial outlets cast the episode as a moral lapse more than a mere political misstep [12] [8].
7. The White House response and Trump’s defense drew additional scrutiny
Following backlash, the president repeated and defended his characterization of Reiner as a “deranged person” in public comments from the Oval Office. News coverage treated those defenses as a deepening of the controversy and cited White House nonresponses or attempts to downplay the fallout [1] [4].
Limitations and competing perspectives: available sources document broad condemnation across media and from many politicians, and they record some right‑wing defenses and justifications; however, available sources do not provide a comprehensive list of every congressional or international reaction, nor do they include private White House deliberations or any internal GOP strategy discussions in response (not found in current reporting). All factual assertions above are drawn from the cited coverage [4] [1] [5] [6] [3] [11] [2] [7] [8] [12].