Accountability Desk

The record, with the receipts.

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Trump's post on Rob Reiner's killing drew rare Republican rebukes

The day after the director and his wife were found dead, the president blamed Reiner's criticism of him. Republicans called the post wrong and disrespectful.

Dec. 15, 2025  |  Summary by Accountability Desk, based on the reporting credited below

Rob Reiner, director of The Princess Bride and A Few Good Men and a longtime critic of Trump, was found dead with his wife, Michele, at their Los Angeles home in December 2025. Police investigated the deaths as a homicide, and their son was arrested.

The next morning Trump wrote on Truth Social that Reiner had died “reportedly due to the anger he caused others” through what he called Trump Derangement Syndrome, and described him as tortured and struggling. Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and Mike Lawler criticized the post as inappropriate and wrong, and several conservative commentators urged him to delete it. Asked the next day whether he stood by it, Trump did not back down.

The receipts

Original reporting. Credit belongs to these outlets and authors; read the full stories at the source.

  1. NPR byline on original

    Trump says Rob Reiner had 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' in post on his death
  2. ABC News byline on original

    Trump's harsh comments on Rob Reiner's murder spark rare Republican pushback
  3. CBC News byline on original

    Trump wildly claims Rob Reiner's death a result of 'Trump derangement syndrome'