President Donald Trump‘s remarks on slain Hollywood director Rob Reiner and wife, Michele, has caused a rift among his MAGA base. The Stand By Me director was not a fan of the president and his policies, and Trump let his displeasure be known, even as the case has rocked Hollywood and beyond.
Reiner’s son, Nick, is ‘responsible’ for the killings, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement released on December 15.
Meanwhile, Trump on Truth Social said, “A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, Sometimes referred to as TDS.”
The President added, “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!.” While Trump’s post was initially made in an individual capacity, his White House X account, Rapid Response, chose to amplify it.
Later, when fielding questions from the Oval Office, Trump doubled down on his attack. “He was a deranged person. I was not a fan. I thought he was very bad for our country,” he said. These remarks have caused discomfort even among his most loyal followers, and the MAGA base is picking sides in the battle.
Notable voices like MAGA podcaster Tim Pool, and Priya Patel, who was described as ‘MAGA influencer’ by The American Bazaar, have spoken out publicly against Trump. Those within the Republican Party like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie have also expressed their displeasure. The President’s remarks have also ruffled feathers among conservatives who aren’t actively in politics, like Russell Moore, Editor-in-Chie of Christianity Today. Meanwhile, some Trump loyalists have steadfastly backed the President, like Laura Loomer and Jack Posobiec. Here’s all the churning in MAGA over Trump’s Reiner remarks.
MAGA and Republican voices that went against Trump
Tim Pool on X shared Trump’s comments on Reiner in the Oval Office and remarked, “Trump has personal reasons to be upset with Reiner but he can do better. This was not appropriate. Rob was very gracious when Charlie was murdered. We can return that grace.”
Patel, meanwhile, said “No no no nope, this isn’t it. We strive to be the bigger people. Don’t stoop to their level.”
Republican lawmakers who have broken from Trump’s stance on other issues also spoke out against his handling of the Reiner situation. MTG, whose rift with Trump became public, wrote “Rob Reiner and his wife were tragically killed at the hands of their own son, who reportedly had drug addiction and other issues, and their remaining children are left in serious mourning and heartbreak. This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies. Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder.”
Massie added, “Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered. I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they’re afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it.”
Allie Beth Stuckey, Christian conservative commentator, noted “With Trump, you could either get a really sweet, compassionate moment like when he heard that RBG, who hated him, died, or you could get the kind of post he put out about Rob Reiner. Hard to ever know what to expect. I really appreciated Reiner’s kind words when Charlie was murdered. What a tragedy for his family. May they be comforted and may justice be swift.”
Moore, meanwhile, launched a scathing attack, saying “How this vile, disgusting, and immoral behavior has become normalized in the United States is something our descendants will study in school, to the shame of our generation.”
Brilyn Hollyhand, considered by some to be Charlie Kirk’s successor, said on X “We can’t call out the Left for celebrating Charlie’s assassination but laugh at this because it’s a ‘mean tweet’. Taking a victory lap when a critic is killed? Thats how you lose Gen Z and independents. We can’t sit on a pedestal and condemn the Left but normalize this.”
Some MAGA loyalists back Trump’s play
However, some among Trump’s base have solidly backed his play. Posobiec, who first said, “You won’t see people on the right celebrating the horrific murder of Rob Reiner and his wife. Compare to the Left’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s murder,” came back at those pointing to Trump’s Truth Social post.
“Libs are trying to Community Note this with Trump’s post. Where is the celebration in Trump’s post? He isn’t celebrating, he is warning,” he wrote.
Laura Loomer seemingly hit out at the MAGA and GOP base, saying, “So many simps want to be liked by the left so they are calling Trump out for speaking truth about Rob Reiner. I’m so sick of these opportunistic and fake grifters who want to hold hands and sing Kumbaya. Since when do we have to pretend like people were saints when they die?”.
This is not the first time Trump has shown his harsher side. When Erika Kirk addressed Charlie’s killer at the Arizona memorial, and said she forgave him, Trump used the same platform to break from the message. “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them,” the president had said.