Swift and fairly overwhelming. That best describes the reaction to President Donald Trump’s Monday post about the prior day’s murder of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. If you haven’t seen the Trump statement, it’s an instant ‘WTF’ classic:
George Runner, a conservative Republican who served in both the California legislature and on the State Board of Equalization over a 22 year span, reacted this way:
“I support the policies that President Trump is implementing.
“However, his comments on the tragic and terrible murder of the Reiners are inexcusable.
“Rob Reiner shared very appropriate and caring words on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It is unfortunate that the President couldn’t have been as sensitive and caring in his comments.
“I believe it is important for those of us who support the president to also be quick to criticize when he screws up like this!”
Runner is referring to what the liberal Reiner said about the death of evangelical, conservative Kirk. It’s worth watching:
It should come as no surprise at this point that Trump couldn’t muster the same type of sentiment for a fellow human being’s tragedy.
Trump admitted as much at Kirk’s memorial, showing awe at Erika Kirk’s stated forgiveness of her husband’s assassin, while saying, “I am sorry, Erika… I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them.”
Not even in death, apparently.
“(Trump) never fails to make everything about himself,” wrote the ‘Libertarian Redhead’ in a Facebook post. “It’s so disturbing and disconnected from reality.”
Longtime California conservative activist Mike Der Manouel was also pretty pointed:
“Trump’s comments about Rob Reiner were embarrassing, ridiculous and inappropriate. It’s horrific how the left reacted to the murder of Charlie Kirk and assassination attempts on the president. Stooping to that level of heinousness is unacceptable — period.”
The Free Press went with this:
The article starts with:
“Given Rob Reiner’s contributions to American culture—from his days as a sitcom star on ‘All in the Family’ to his direction of iconic films such as ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and ‘A Few Good Men’—it was entirely appropriate for the president of the United States to weigh in on his horrifying death over the weekend.
“In response to the brutal murder of a film icon, President Trump resorted to an all-too-common ‘unthinking cruelty,’ a choice unbecoming for the leader of the free world.
“Sadly, the way President Donald Trump has done so is beyond the pale. His Monday post on Truth Social is worth reading in full, in part because many Republican lawmakers will spend the next few days claiming not to have seen it…”
(Here’s the rest of the FreePress article if you care to deal with the firewall.)
Whether it’s true that many GOP politicians will say they haven’t seen Trump’s words is not the sole point.
It’s that those politicians continue to navigate a reality in which they may support Trump’s policies, yet also have to choose between either proclaiming disdain for his words or lie about having read them.
That has to be extremely frustrating.
“I don’t regret my vote or why I voted,” said Officer Deon Joseph, a law enforcement consultant who has worked for the LAPD for over 25 years. “But I fully admit that sometimes I wish this man would just STFU and just lead the country. Throwing dirt on a man who was murdered is wrong. I get it. The guy came for you. But you (Trump) missed a huge opportunity to rise above it. Stop tweeting dumb crap and lead.”
Stop tweeting dumb crap and lead. That’s it. Simple.
To be clear, no advisor is telling the President to post this stuff. He’s not playing 4D chess at a level the rest of us can’t understand.
It’s simply him.
Even if you believe Reiner’s hate for Trump justifies the trolling the president pursues as his norm, what a missed opportunity to rise above it, show compassion, and be a statesman.
He doesn’t have it in him.
For conservatives to have to separate the man’s policies from his mouth — and his heart — is now the norm, the world in which they live, their political reality.
Here’s to looking for a conservative politician who will just say it the way it is for them: “Trump is a vile individual, but he gets things accomplished. Like it or not, he’s vile, but he’s ours.”
Comments 5
My Greek immigrant mother passed on to me when I was young the axiom “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.” She and my Italian immigrant father had come during the Eastern European immigration wave of the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. They had lived through discrimination on the part of former Western European residents of the U.S. (I still have a photocopy of a city advertisement from New Castle, PA for construction of a bridge…which specifically stated “No Italians!.) They lived through the Great Depression, World War II, etc. They worried about eating, getting hand me down clothes and shoes from their older siblings, trying to heat their homes, not being killed in a war, etc. Being called a wop or greasy Greek, etc. was the least of their worries.
When I first retired from the Marines I worked for a very wealthy family in Rancho Santa Fe as one of their private pilots. In fact, I was the wife’s pilot. She said something to me once that has stuck with me. She said “The problem with New York City is it is full of New Yorkers.” As a Trump delegate to the nominating convention I always remembered what she said when Trump’s pronouncements were made.
I really care very little what he says. I care about what he DOES! I know what was said about him and done to him. I know he is at his core a New Yorker. He is also a politician. Everyone seems to be perfectly happy with being butt hurt over what politicians SAY while ignoring what they DO. Rob was the ultimate jerk. His “contributions” to America were in the film industry. Anyone really think those are “contributions”? Really? I am sorry he was murdered, but then I am sorry when anyone’s life is taken from them but if you think I really care that Trump said some bad words about a jerk, you are wrong. Let’s worry about important stuff.
“Let’s worry about important stuff.” – Lou Russo
“Stop tweeting dumb crap and lead.” – In the article above.
You are saying the same thing, it appears.
Western Journal…
It would be hard to find a decent conservative who liked Rob Reiner’s politics — it will be impossible to find a decent conservative celebrating his death.
Reiner, 78, was found stabbed to death with his wife, Michele Singer, in the couple’s Hollywood home on Sunday. Their middle child, Nick Reiner, is reportedly a suspect in their killing.
And the reaction across the political spectrum — compared to the September assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk — speaks volumes about American politics.
To the everlasting disgrace of the American left, Kirk’s killing was cause for celebration among his political opponents.
Reiner, however, an inveterate liberal even by Hollywood standards, had a different take. And in an October interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” he showed what a difference decency can make.
I didn’t often agree with Rob Reiner’s politics but he was a brilliant man, with a good heart.
This was his beautiful reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination on @piersmorgan only two months ago.
I hope in his memory, we follow his example #riprobreiner pic.twitter.com/l03riUX2ws
— Rich (@ritchCFC) December 15, 2025
“Absolute horror,” Reiner said, when Morgan asked about his “immediate, gut-reaction” to Kirk’s assassination.
“It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody,” Reiner said. “I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable.”
No, the murder of Charlie Kirk was not acceptable, but to far, far too many on the American left, it was not only acceptable, but a matter of pride.
Leftists turned to social media to dance on Kirk’s grave. For many, the murder was a matter of mockery.
That’s not what Americans are going to see in the wake of the Reiners’ murders.
Sure, there will be some crank or other claiming to be a conservative who will mock the death of the man the country first met as “Meathead” on the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family.”
But the almost universal reaction so far is — and will likely remain — pretty much a mirror of Reiner’s reaction to Kirk’s death. Here’s a fair sampling of what was on the social media platform X Monday morning:
RIP Rob Reiner and his wife. Didn’t care much for him politically but his talent as an actor and a director was immeasurable. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies of all time. pic.twitter.com/Myoxg38O2U
— Headley (@KingSlimer80s) December 15, 2025
Do i think Rob Reiner was a meathead & wrong about everything..Yes, Do I get joy from his alleged passing or do I celebrate it…..Absolutely not…. pic.twitter.com/opIzONwBuq
— Curly (@EvenCurly) December 15, 2025
Damn, I loved his work and I did not agree with his politics, yet no one deserves to go out like that.
R.I.P. Rob Reiner pic.twitter.com/aBDstv1Jr4
— YT69 (@WalkerBrad54539) December 15, 2025
And here’s a post from Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of the podcast “The Charlie Kirk Show:”
Rob Reiner responded with grace and compassion to Charlie’s assassination. This video makes it all the more painful to hear of he and his wife’s tragic end. May God be close to the broken hearted in this terrible story. pic.twitter.com/07g2EFu8Ha
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) December 15, 2025
“May God be close to the broken hearted in this terrible story,” Kolvet wrote, in a sentence that should define conservative reaction to the Reiners’ brutal deaths.
With the avid assistance of the establishment media, there are too many posers who are being taken as legitimate voices from the right — voices of violence, voices of anti-Semitism, voices of men who despise women.
And there will likely be one or two that get a major media microphone speaking hideous lies about the Reiners’ deaths. But they’re not real conservatives.
Decent conservatives would no more take pleasure in the deaths of the Reiners than they would the slaughter of Jews at a Hannukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Gloating at the tragic for political reasons is the dehumanizing nature of the dehumanized left.
And no decent conservative — by definition — will be a part of it.
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Interestingly enough, when Tucker Carlson decried elected Republicans’ celebration, of dead Gaza children, he was called “Qatarlson”. (Randy Fine, from my home state of Florida comes to mind as does media personality Mark Levin). I’m pro-life so I even felt bad for Osama Bin-Laden’s family.
President Trump’s comments were embarrassing and classless. Nonetheless, I understand his hatred for Reiner because hate breeds hate and Reiner was a hate-filled political actor when he was alive.
I am sad for Reiner. I am sad for Palestinian, Israeli. Ukrainian, and Russian innocents caught between the mafiosos fighting one another but here’s the rub- I don’t need to apologize for Trump being Trump.
I voted for the asshole over the incompetent and am happy I did.
This definitely resulted in some ire, especially on the Facebook post of the article, as anticipated.
Many are reading into it things I simply haven’t said. I have no expectation Trump needs to say anything nice about a sworn enemy. Why say anything at all?
Most certainly, why comment and make Reiner’s death about you?
The article did address those both.
The bottom line for me: I don’t buy the “Because the left does it, we are justified in doing it” argument. I’ve always believed conservatives should be better than that.
Love your neighbor, love your enemies. Pie in the sky, I know. I’m in no way perfect, but as a Christian I’m trying to aspire to the Erika Kirk model.
It’s hard to love your enemy, but I don’t believe in mocking their death.
Since many defending Trump’s statement are Christians, just some additional perspective. Some commenters alluded to this.
The revolutionaries in the time of Jesus were those — with Jesus leading the way — hanging out with and showing grace to the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the rabble, the sinners.
The greatest betrayal of Jesus came from Judas, who ended up committing suicide. Following the resurrection, Jesus would have learned of Judas’ death. Does anyone actually think Jesus mocked the death of his betrayer?
Of those who did the very worst to him, who caused him the worst suffering imaginable, Jesus still asked for their forgiveness.
Do I expect Trump to act like Jesus? No.
I expect him to act like the President.
The revolutionaries in New Testament times were those providing the ultimate grace to their enemies.
Many of those now defending Trump’s mocking comments probably view themselves as conservative political revolutionaries, doing the right thing.
The Pharisees thought they were “all that” too.
A blessed Christmas to everyone.