Honoree Rob Reiner arrives with his wife Michele, and son Jake at the 41st Annual Chaplin Award Gala in New York City, U.S. April 28, 2014.
Rob Reiner, the legendary comedian and filmmaker who passed away on Sunday night, was an outspoken proponent of Democratic politics throughout his life and a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, at various times calling him "mentally unfit" for office and accusing him of a "war on this democracy."
Trump, on Monday morning, sparked outrage when he took to Truth Social with an attack on Reiner, suggesting that his death was due to "Trump derangement syndrome," a common refrain used by conservatives to dismiss liberal critics of the president. Trump has, over the years, issued similar statements and comments about people who have spoken out against his political agenda, even and especially when they have experienced a tragedy or died.
Reiner had certainly been vocal in his criticism of Trump over the years, as a new analysis from Newsweek highlighted. As recently as September, Reiner spoke out against the Trump administration's hand in getting late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel suspended, suggesting that others like himself might be targeted as well during an appearance on CNN.
“This may be the last time you ever see me because… there’s only a couple of us that are speaking out in this hard way," Reiner said. "And I, we, hope and we know that there will be others... Trump has declared war on this democracy. He throws people out of the country without due process. He takes funds that were appropriated by Congress, refuses to distribute them, in clear contradiction to the Constitution, the separation of powers.”
Later on, in October, he expressed concern within Hollywood over Trump's attacks on First Amendment rights, as typified by the Kimmel suspension.
“The Hollywood community is very much aware of their First Amendment rights being impinged,” Reinger said during an appearance on MS NOW.
In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential race, Reiner claimed that re-electing Trump would put the US on an accelerated path towards "autocracy," and that such a scenario would have global implications as well.
“We see autocracy making its move around the world. And so if we crumble, there's a danger that democracy crumbles around the world,” Reiner said in an interview with The Guardian.
In the same interview, conducted to promote the Reiner-produced documentary, God & Country, the filmmaker said that Trump's rise to prominence was fueled by Christian nationalism, while also doubting Trump's own professed faith.
“The foundation for it all was Christian nationalism, because finally they had found somebody like Donald Trump who they could funnel their ideas through," Reiner said, adding, "I think he can probably spell the word ‘bible', I don't think he's ever read it and I don't think he has any idea what's in it. But they excuse all that by saying God works in mysterious ways, and that he sent us this flawed vessel by which we can achieve the goals that we want to achieve."
As of 2021, Reiner said that he was developing a television miniseries about the relationship between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, tentatively titled The Spy and the Asset. In 2017, shortly after Trump's first election, he also helped launch Investigate Russia, a committee dedicated to highlighting Russia's efforts to influence and subvert American elections, though the launch made no mention of the allegations that the 2016 Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin.
Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead at their Los Angeles home Sunday night, with wounds consistent with a knife attack. The couple's son, Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and charged with a felony in connection with their deaths.
