Much of the reaction to the deaths of famed director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer, who were allegedly murdered in their Los Angeles home by their son Nick, fell into national mourning for the man behind films like “The Princess Bride,” “This Is Spinal Tap” and “Harry & Sally.”
Conservative distancing and initial reactions
The motive for the killings is still unclear, but some conservatives – many of whom are aware of Reiner’s past criticism of President Donald Trump and his ties to prominent Democratic Party figures – were quick to emphasize that they would never dance on his grave because they disagree with his policies.
“You won’t see people on the right celebrating the horrific murder of Rob Reiner and his wife. Compare that to the left’s reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk,” Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec wrote on social media. Several other conservatives posted similar posts.
“Liberals are desperately looking for a prominent conservative to mock the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife,” wrote MAGA commentator Gunter Eagleman.
Is President Trump prominent enough?
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday (December 15) that Reiner was killed because of “the anger he has inspired in others by his massive, unrelenting and incurable illness from a mentally debilitating disease called TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”
“He was known for driving people crazy with his frenzied obsession with President Donald J. Trump, his apparent paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump administration exceeded all goals and expectations of greatness, and with America’s Golden Age upon us, perhaps like never before,” Trump added. “May Rob and Michele rest in peace.”
Trump doubled down on his comments later on Monday, telling reporters in the Oval Office that Reiner was “deranged” and “very bad for our country.”
Disorientation in the right-wing camp
Trump is, of course, the first person the conservative movement looks to to gauge how it should stand on something. However, the president’s post about Reiner was so despicable that the right wasn’t sure how to proceed.
Some, like Posobiec, hastily began formulating a defense of Trump’s post. “Rob Reiner called for Trump to be put in prison for lying. No wonder Trump said that,” Posobiec wrote alongside several reposts of videos and content that highlighted the director’s previous criticism of the president.
Eagleman shared a screenshot of Trump’s post, but only quoted “May Rob and Michele rest in peace” as if it was sincere, ignoring the content of the post.
Conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter first claimed in some posts that he only saw “horrified conservatives” and then urged people to “CRY MORE” over Trump’s comments.
Laura Loomer, who has advised Trump since his re-election, wrote that Reiner was “a loser.” “Of course his son was a loser too, he became a drug addict and is said to have murdered his parents,” she continued, adding a fake, anti-Trump tweet from Reiner for reinforcement. “It looks like Rob should have spent more time raising his children and less time spreading Russian conspiracy theories about President Trump. I stand with President Trump.”
The Charlie Kirk case and public repression
By raising the specter of Kirk, conservatives also drew renewed attention to their vengeful public repression of anyone who dared criticize Kirk after his assassination in September. Many Americans who spoke negatively about Kirk after the shooting were fired from their jobs.
A Reuters investigation found that at least 600 people were “fired, suspended, investigated or disciplined by their employers” because of their comments about Kirk. At least some on the right recognized that after such an intense campaign of public stigmatization of Kirk’s critics, Trump’s comments made a bad impression, to say the least.
“We can’t criticize the left for celebrating Charlie’s murder, but laugh at it because it’s a ‘mean tweet,'” wrote MAGA influencer Brilyn Hollyhand. “Doing a victory lap when a critic is killed? That’s how you lose Generation Z and independents. We can’t sit on a pedestal and condemn the left, but normalize this.”
Silence in Congress – and few exceptions
Republicans in Congress were mostly silent. The few who are proud and already at odds with Trump expressed themselves most clearly.
“This is a family tragedy, it’s not about politics or political enemies,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a recently converted Trump critic, responded to the president’s post on
Greene is right, but that didn’t stop her and virtually all Republicans in the MAGA movement from using the addiction problems of Hunter, former President Joe Biden’s son, as a cudgel against the former president. Something to think about as Greene continues her attempt at repositioning.
Open criticism of Trump
Longtime Trump critic Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) wrote in response to Trump’s post: “Regardless of how you feel about Rob Reiner, this is an inappropriate and disrespectful statement about a man who was just brutally murdered. I suspect my GOP elected colleagues, the vice president and White House staff will simply ignore this because they are afraid? I challenge everyone to defend this.”
Some other Republicans found it within themselves to gently rebuke the president. “This statement is false,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) wrote on
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who announced this summer that he would not run for re-election in a district that is expected to go to Democrats in 2026, told Axios that the post was “not presidential.” The couple was stabbed. Most Americans expect more and better from our president.”
Media reactions and justifications
Other influencers and commentators, including Piers Morgan, radio host Erick Erickson and social media influencer Sage Steele, criticized the president for being hypocritical and exploiting Reiner’s death for his own purposes.
Greg Gutfeld awkwardly tried to address Trump’s comments on Fox News Monday night. “He was asked to do it, but he didn’t do it,” the moderator said when a panelist said he hoped the president corrected himself. “You don’t always have to like everything he says. In my filter, Trump is always words rather than actions. I don’t have to like what he says. In fact, I can hate what he says. But I can also imagine him thinking: This guy compared me to Hitler, he targeted me, I don’t like him.”
“If I were him, I would say, ‘I’m sorry he’s dead,'” Gutfeld added.
Defense at all costs
Of course, there will always be those who vehemently defend the president’s most heinous actions, even as they continue to brand themselves as spiritual leaders within the conservative movement.
“President Trump is not fake enough to praise (speak well of) his bitterest haters,” wrote Pastor Darrell Scott, who describes himself as a “longtime” friend and adviser to the president. “He said what he said and it is what it is.”
That’s true.