What exactly did Rob Reiner say about Donald Trump and being shot, and when?
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Executive summary
President Donald Trump published a Truth Social post on Dec. 15, 2025, blaming Rob Reiner’s outspoken criticism of him for Reiner’s killing and calling Reiner a “tortured and struggling” figure who suffered from “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,” then reiterated to reporters that he “wasn’t a fan” and called Reiner “deranged” [1] [2]. The comment drew immediate bipartisan criticism and was described in news coverage as politicizing a double homicide that police were investigating and in which Reiner’s son was arrested [2] [3].
1. What Trump actually wrote and said — the primary text
Trump’s social-media post said, in full reporting excerpts, that “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” and described Reiner’s “raging obsession” and “obvious paranoia” about Trump [1] [4]. When asked by reporters later, Trump stood by his comments, saying “I wasn’t a fan of his at all” and calling Reiner a “deranged person,” repeating that Reiner was “very bad for our country” [2] [5].
2. When and in what context the comments were made
The posts and the follow-up remarks were published and delivered on Dec. 15, 2025, less than a day after Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home; police were treating the deaths as homicides and had arrested the couple’s 32‑year‑old son in connection with the investigation [2] [3]. News outlets portray Trump’s comments as immediate reactions to the breaking news of the killings [2] [6].
3. How multiple outlets reported the wording and tone
Major outlets reproduced the same core language from Trump’s Truth Social post and his remarks to reporters: the “Trump derangement syndrome” phrasing, the characterization of Reiner as “deranged,” and the implication that Reiner’s criticism might have led to violence [1] [4] [2]. Coverage emphasized the combative and mocking tone of the post and the president’s decision to repeat the rhetoric in the White House rather than express condolence first [4] [5].
4. Immediate political and public reactions
Reporting shows swift backlash across the political spectrum: some Republicans publicly criticized Trump's comments as inappropriate given the timing and the ongoing homicide investigation, while some MAGA voices defended or downplayed the attack, framing it as a response to Reiner’s long-standing criticism of Trump [7] [5]. Journalists and commentators described the post as politicizing a family tragedy and drew comparisons to prior incidents where political rhetoric was blamed for violence [2] [7].
5. What the sources do and do not say about motive and facts
News outlets uniformly note that authorities were investigating the deaths as homicides and had arrested a family member; they also emphasize that Trump’s suggestion linking Reiner’s political activity to the murders was unsubstantiated in public reporting at the time [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention any law‑enforcement conclusion that Reiner’s political statements caused the killing; reporting instead indicates the arrested suspect is the couple’s son and that investigators had released little public information about motive [2] [3].
6. Why this matters — framing, implication and audience
Trump’s framing turned a breaking criminal investigation into a political cudgel by asserting a causal connection — that Reiner’s criticism produced “anger” leading to his death — a rhetorical move outlets characterized as crude and incendiary given the unresolved nature of the case [4] [8]. This served two audiences simultaneously: Trump’s political base, for whom “TDS” is a familiar dismissal, and the broader public, where the comments triggered rare public pushback from some pro‑Trump figures who warned against politicizing the killings [7] [3].
7. Limitations and unresolved elements in reporting
Reporting is constrained by ongoing investigations: outlets repeatedly state that police treated the deaths as homicides and that a family member had been arrested, but they cite little public evidence about motive, and none links political criticism to the killings in the contemporaneous reporting [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention any official finding that Rob Reiner’s political commentary caused or motivated the homicide.
Sources cited: The New York Times [2], Variety [1], Rolling Stone [4], Axios [7] [5], Washington Post [3], CNBC [9], NPR [10], KSAT/AP [6], Desert Sun [11], Forbes [12], TMZ/Gateway Pundit [8] as reflected in the provided search results.