Alex Nguyen again, contributing writer at Mother Jones.
Donald Trump’s remarks about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were yet another demonstration of the president's signature pettiness. While Hollywood and prominent Democrats have paid tribute to the filmmaker since Sunday in recognition of his films and progressive activism, the president baselessly and reprehensibly claimed that Reiner had "TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME" and was somehow responsible for his own murder.
As David Corn wrote about Trump’s tirade yesterday:
“It was hard to follow Trump’s reasoning. Was he suggesting someone had killed Rob because of his opposition to Trump? Was he saying that Rob’s criticism of Trump had triggered psychosis in his murderer? Was he implying that Rob got what he deserved? All that was clear was that Trump was demonstrating yet again that not an iota of grace or decency exists within his dark soul.”
“He was a big shot who did not act like a big shot,” David, who was friends with Reiner, wrote. “The son of Carl Reiner, he was a prince in Jewish comedy royalty. Yet online—and he was much online—he acted as if he were just another netizen concerned with the world.”
And that character shows up in the policies Reiner fought for. He led the campaigns to overturn a ban on same-sex marriage in California and apply a tax on tobacco products to generate funds for development programs for young children, such as school readiness and health care.
Even many on the right see this: Fox News, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), to name a few, have condemned Trump.
But Trump, of course, remained defiant. As David writes, “Asked by a reporter about his post, he offered an encore of his disgusting performance: 'I wasn't a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned...He was very bad for our country.'"
—Alex Nguyen
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