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 criticised Reiner, saying: 'He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.'
Those comments were widely criticised, 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 stated that 'this is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies' and that the murders should be 'met with empathy'.
Hours after his social media post, Trump repeated his thoughts on Reiner in comments given in the Oval Office to reporters, describing the director as a 'deranged person' who was partly 'behind' previous claims of collusion between Russia and Trump's team.
'I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape or form,' he said.
Reiner, who was 78, was known for directing several iconic films in a variety of genres. He was a lifelong Democrat and frequently spoke out against Trump.
The couple had three children together, including Nick, 32. Michele, 68, owned the Reiner Light photography agency and production house.
