When did rob reiner first publicly comment on the alleged trump shooting?
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Executive summary
Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in Los Angeles on Dec. 14–15, 2025; President Trump publicly commented the next morning, Dec. 15, posting on Truth Social that Reiner’s death was “reportedly due to the anger he caused others” and accusing him of “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME” [1] [2]. Trump doubled down later that day in the Oval Office and in other remarks, calling Reiner “a deranged person” and reiterating that he “was very bad for our country” [2] [3].
1. When the first public comment occurred — timeline and medium
The earliest reported public comment by Trump about the Reiners’ deaths came the morning after the bodies were found, when he posted an inflammatory message on Truth Social asserting the deaths were “reportedly due to the anger he caused others” and labeling Reiner with “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME” [1]. News outlets and wire services record that post as the initial public statement by the president about the killing [4] [5].
2. What Trump said, and how outlets framed it
Trump’s Truth Social post described Reiner as “tortured and struggling” and blamed his criticism of Trump for provoking others, using the derogatory term “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME” to explain the killing [6] [5]. Major outlets uniformly described the comment as an attribution of the killing to Reiner’s political views and characterized the attack as baseless given the available facts [2] [7].
3. The president’s follow-up comments — doubling down in public
Later on Dec. 15, Trump repeated and expanded his attack in public settings, telling reporters he “was not a fan” of Reiner, calling him “deranged,” and reiterating that Reiner had been “very bad for our country” — statements widely reported as the president standing by his initial Truth Social post [2] [3]. Deadline and The Guardian reported the same afternoon remarks and the White House exchange in which he defended his characterization [8] [9].
4. Immediate reactions and political context
Republicans across the spectrum, as well as Democrats and media outlets, condemned the timing and content of Trump’s comments, calling them inappropriate in the wake of a homicide and noting there was no public evidence linking Reiner’s politics to the killings [10] [2]. Some right-wing commentators defended or justified the president’s criticism, illustrating a split in conservative responses [3] [1].
5. What authorities reported about the deaths at the time
Police had arrested the Reiners’ 32‑year‑old son and booked him on a murder charge; authorities described the deaths as homicides and had not attributed any political motive, a point news organizations emphasized in reporting on Trump’s comments [4] [2]. Several outlets noted there was no indication Reiner’s political views were linked to the killings [2].
6. Disputes, fact‑checking and limitations of reporting
News organizations framed Trump’s attribution as unsubstantiated and emphasized the absence of evidence connecting the couple’s political stances to their deaths [2] [11]. Available sources do not mention any law‑enforcement finding that corroborated the president’s claim that Reiner’s political activism caused the killing; they instead report the arrest of the son and ongoing investigation [2] [4].
7. Why the timing mattered — optics and political impact
Reporters and commentators flagged the president’s decision to attack Reiner within hours of the homicide as politically charged and insensitive; those criticisms came from both critics and some allies who said Trump’s remarks undercut calls for civility after other violent incidents [6] [10]. Outlets documented a notable backlash from members of Trump’s own coalition, demonstrating the political cost of the immediate commentary [1] [7].
8. Bottom line and what to watch next
The first public comment by Trump on the Reiner killing was his Truth Social post on the morning after the deaths, followed by public reiterations the same day [1] [2]. Reporting shows authorities arrested the Reiners’ son and had not tied motive to politics; available sources do not mention evidence supporting Trump’s claim that Reiner’s criticism caused the killing [4] [2]. Future reports from law enforcement and court filings should be monitored to see whether any motive is established; until then, major outlets describe the president’s causal claim as unsubstantiated [2] [11].