Donald Trump confronted a storm of condemnation on Monday after posting “perverse” and “sick” remarks suggesting Rob Reiner and his spouse had been murdered due to the celebrated filmmaker’s criticism of the U.S. president.
Among these shocked had been some staunch Trump loyalists, and the remarks triggered a wave of unusually destructive responses on his Truth Social community that he makes use of to speak along with his base.
As tributes for Reiner poured in, Trump launched a crude assault on the director of “When Harry Met Sally” and different widespread hits.
Trump claimed the Reiners had died “reportedly due to the anger” that Reiner had attributable to criticizing the Republican chief.
Trump additionally boasted of his personal supposed political success, and stated Reiner had “driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession” of attacking the president.
The feedback got here as police introduced that Reiner’s son, Nick, had been arrested on suspicion of homicide — a improvement that intensified the backlash.
“I’d expect to hear something like this from a drunk guy at a bar, not the president of the United States,” Nebraska Republican Don Bacon, who retires from the House of Representatives subsequent yr, instructed CNN.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, as soon as one in all Trump’s fiercest allies in Congress, scolded Trump over his response to a “family tragedy” that was “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,” she posted on X.
Thomas Massie, one other Trump critic on the Republican aspect of the House of Representatives, referred to as the president’s feedback “inappropriate and disrespectful” whereas New York average Mike Lawler referred to as the remarks “wrong.”
Trump has an extended report of incendiary social media posts which have outraged Democrats, however open condemnation from inside Republican ranks was as soon as virtually unthinkable.
Miles Taylor, a former Trump administration homeland safety official who grew to become a outstanding inner critic after anonymously publishing a 2019 tell-all ebook, accused Trump of “mocking the dead” and branded him a “sick creep.”
“His attacks on (Republican senator) John McCain after the veteran’s death pushed me to speak out from within his administration. (The) taunting of Rob Reiner’s murder makes me even more determined to defy Trump.”
Democrats additionally responded with fury. David Axelrod, the previous chief strategist to President Barack Obama, described Trump’s submit as “perverse.”
“The absence of empathy & grace for the Reiner family in their moment of profound loss and grief is sad and revealing. For @POTUS, his grievances trumps their grief.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy stated Trump had “lost it.”
“Now saying Rob and Michele Reiner caused their own murder because they didn’t support him. So sick,” he wrote.
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