US President Donald Trump has repeated his criticism of Rob Reiner - after his earlier remarks about the killed Hollywood director, a longtime Trump critic, sparked widespread condemnation.
The US president told reporters the director was very bad for our country, having earlier written on Truth Social that Reiner's death was linked to Trump derangement syndrome - a term he often uses to describe his critics.
Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police have arrested their son Nick on suspicion of murder.
They have not suggested any motive in the case, or any evidence that Reiner's politics and criticism of Trump played any role.
In his social media post, which called the couple's deaths very sad, Trump criticized Reiner, saying: He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.
Those comments were widely criticized, including by prominent Republicans.
Kentucky representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who has clashed with Trump since the president returned to the White House in January, wrote on X: Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered.
Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a previous Trump supporter, added that this is a family tragedy, not about politics and should be met with empathy.
Senator John Kennedy stated he thought Trump should not have made these comments, suggesting a wise man would have remained silent.
Reiner, who was 78, directed several iconic films and was a vocal critic of Trump, calling him mentally unfit for office back in 2017. Hours after his social media post, Trump described Reiner as a deranged person regarding his previous claims of collusion between Russia and Trump's campaign.
In previous instances, Trump has criticized political foes posthumously, including notable remarks following the death of Senator John McCain and lawmaker John Dingell.
Reiner is remembered for directing famous films such as This is Spinal Tap and A Few Good Men. He married Michele in 1989 and the couple had three children together.
