By MICHELLE L. PRICE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to the president for the actor-director’s killing, delivering the unsubstantiated declare in a stunning publish that appeared intent on decrying his opponents even within the face of a tragedy.
The assertion, even for Trump, was a stunning remark that got here as police had been nonetheless investigating the deaths of the beloved director and his spouse as an obvious murder. The couple had been discovered useless at their dwelling Sunday in Los Angeles. Investigators consider they suffered stab wounds and the couple’s son Nick Reiner, was in police custody early Monday.
Trump has a protracted observe document of inflammatory remarks, however his feedback in a social media publish had been a drastic departure from the function presidents usually play in providing a message of comfort or tribute to the demise of a public determine. His message additionally laid naked Trump’s unwillingness to rise above political grievance in moments of disaster.
Trump, in a publish on his social media community, mentioned that Reiner and his spouse had been killed “reportedly because of the anger he brought about others by his huge, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a thoughts crippling illness generally known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
He mentioned Reiner “was recognized to have pushed individuals CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, along with his apparent paranoia reaching new heights because the Trump Administration surpassed all objectives and expectations of greatness.”
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who has bucked a lot of his celebration’s lockstep settlement with the president, criticized Trump for the remark.
“No matter the way you felt about Rob Reiner, that is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse a couple of man who was simply brutally murdered,” Massie wrote in a publish on X. “I assume my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White Home workers will simply ignore it as a result of they’re afraid? I problem anybody to defend it.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican whom Trump branded a “traitor” for arguing with him, responded to Trump’s message by saying, “It is a household tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.”
Reiner was one of the crucial energetic Democrats within the movie business, usually campaigning on behalf of liberal causes and internet hosting fundraisers. He was a vocal critic of Trump, calling him in a 2017 interview with Selection “mentally unfit” to be president and “the single-most unqualified human being to ever assume the presidency of america.”
The unsympathetic message was the newest instance of Trump’s unsparing prism by which he views these he perceives as enemies.
He made retribution towards political enemies a main focus of his marketing campaign for the White Home final 12 months. And he has previously made mild of violence when it’s befallen these on the opposite facet of the political aisle.
When Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked by an intruder in search of the previous Home speaker on the household’s San Francisco dwelling in 2022 and crushed over the top with a hammer, Trump later mocked the assault.
That’s in regardless of of his feedback after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this 12 months. Trump mentioned Kirk’s killing was “the tragic consequence of demonizing these with whom you disagree.”
His administration then sought penalties for individuals who had been crucial of Kirk and even celebrated his killing.
When Trump spoke at Kirk’s memorial service, he used his remarks to underline how he views his adversaries.
“I hate my opponent,” the president mentioned.
