President Trump posted criticism of filmmaker Rob Reiner on Truth Social after Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead in their Los Angeles home in an incident authorities are treating as a homicide. Their 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested in connection with the case.
Rob Reiner, 78, was a well-known supporter of the Democratic Party and a frequent, outspoken critic of Trump. In his post, the former president described Reiner as a once-gifted director who struggled in later years and blamed what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) for Reiner’s hostility toward him, saying Reiner had an obsessive and escalating focus on Trump. The post closed with a message expressing hope that the couple could rest in peace.
Tributes to Reiner followed from across the political and cultural spectrum. Former President Barack Obama praised Reiner’s underlying belief in the goodness of people and his lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, responders went to the Reiner home after a medical aid call at about 3:40 p.m. on Sunday and discovered the bodies. Local officials have reported details of the ongoing investigation and the charges tied to the arrest of the couple’s son.
Nick Reiner had a documented history of addiction, a struggle that informed the 2016 film Being Charlie, which Rob Reiner made with his son and which drew on their family’s experiences.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia criticized Trump’s social-media post, calling the deaths a family tragedy rather than a political matter. Greene urged attention to the family’s mourning and noted Nick Reiner’s history of addiction as context for the situation.