Were Rob Reiner’s comments reported verbatim by major news outlets and which ones?
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Executive summary
Major national news outlets — Reuters, AP, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC, PBS, Variety, The Guardian and others — reported and quoted substantial portions of President Trump’s comments about Rob Reiner, including lines calling Reiner “tortured and struggling,” asserting he “passed away reportedly due to the anger he caused,” and Trump’s later characterizations of Reiner as “deranged” and “very bad for our country” (examples: Reuters [1]; AP/PBS [2] [3]; CNN [4]; NYT [5]; WaPo [6]; CNBC [7]; Variety [8]; The Guardian [9]). Local and partisan outlets also reproduced the same language (Fox LA, Daily Caller, Deadline) [10] [11] [12].
1. Major wire services and outlets printed Trump’s words, often verbatim
Reuters and the AP ran stories that quoted Trump’s Truth Social post and his Oval Office remarks nearly verbatim, describing him calling Reiner “tortured and struggling” and saying the couple “passed away ‘reportedly due to the anger he caused’” [1] [2]. PBS and CNN directly cited the same post and Trump’s follow-up comments while noting the backlash from lawmakers and public figures [3] [4]. Those wire-service quotations were then used by national newspapers and broadcasters in their coverage [5] [6].
2. National newspapers and TV networks contextualized and repeated the phrasing
The New York Times’ live reporting and The Washington Post’s political coverage both relayed Trump’s assertion that Reiner’s criticism of the president was linked to the killings and included his “deranged” characterization, embedding those quotes in reporting about reactions and the ongoing homicide investigation [5] [6]. CNN’s live blog and coverage likewise cited Trump’s exact phrases while reporting bipartisan condemnation [4].
3. Cable, local and trade outlets echoed the statements with little alteration
Business and entertainment outlets such as CNBC and Variety quoted Trump’s language while emphasizing the contrast between his comments and usual presidential condolence norms; local TV and online outlets (FOX 11 Los Angeles, KTVU) also printed his phrases in full when covering both the murders and the political fallout [7] [8] [13] [10].
4. Partisan and niche outlets reproduced the same copy but framed it differently
Right-leaning and conservative outlets reproduced the same Trump wording but framed stories as defense or justification pieces (Daily Caller, Fox LA), while left-leaning and mainstream outlets used the quotes to highlight condemnation and to question the timing and appropriateness of the comments (The Guardian, Axios) [11] [10] [9] [14].
5. What outlets left out or added: immediate reactions and context
Across outlets that quoted the statements, reporting consistently added two types of context: that the Reiners’ son had been arrested and was in custody, and that many politicians and celebrities condemned Trump’s remarks as inappropriate during a homicide investigation [1] [2] [4]. Some pieces also noted Trump’s later Oval Office remarks doubling down and the White House reposting the statement via its Rapid Response account [1] [3].
6. On accuracy and “verbatim” claims — convergence of reporting
Available sources show convergence: Reuters, AP, CNN, NYT, WaPo, CNBC and others all reproduced the core lines from Trump’s social post and Oval Office comments, often using direct quotes [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] [7]. That indicates major news outlets did report his comments verbatim or very closely, while adding sourcing and immediate reactions.
7. Limitations and unanswered items in the record
Available sources do not mention whether any outlets edited or redacted parts of Trump’s post before publication, nor do they provide a catalog of every outlet that printed the comments word-for-word; the supplied reporting shows many major outlets did quote his key phrases, but a comprehensive, outlet-by-outlet verbatim audit is not found in the current reporting (not found in current reporting) [1] [2] [4].
8. What this means for readers
Readers should take away that mainstream and partisan outlets alike circulated Trump’s inflammatory phrasing, and that the repetition of those phrases was central to coverage because the comments themselves became the story — prompting bipartisan criticism tied directly to the ongoing homicide investigation and arrest of the Reiners’ son [1] [2] [4]. Where outlets differed was in framing: some foregrounded condemnation and context about investigatory facts, others foregrounded the president’s defense or audience reaction [11] [12] [9].
Sources cited above include Reuters, AP/PBS, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNBC, Variety, The Guardian, local outlets and partisan sites as reflected in the provided reporting [1] [2] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11].