President Donald Trump address Congress, March 4, 2025 (Photo from POTUS on X)
- Whether you’re a regular citizen going about your daily life or the leader of the free world, we all have a duty to turn down the temperature of hatred and division.
There are simply no words sufficient enough to describe the evil that is murder. When a human being takes the life of another human being, something is clearly and deeply broken. And when a family member kills one or more of their own, the horror is compounded to an unimaginable degree.
On Sunday, December 14, Nick Reiner is alleged to have taken the lives of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. According to authorities, the cause of death for both was stabbing. Rob Reiner was a celebrated actor and especially director, making films that spanned multiple genres but carried an unmistakable quality. They are memorable films. But most of all, Rob and Michele were human beings, loved by family and friends, and taken in a brutal way by their own flesh and blood.
Not even 24-hours after the murders, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social with a post that was so outrageous many thought it was fake:
A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!
This is narcissism wrapped up in a real and very angry lack of humanity. It is unbridled hatred. In this case, it comes from the president of the United States. With his post and the treasure trove of others on which to rely, it’s easy to tell what drives him: flattery. If someone praises him and grovels at his feet, he has a kind word. But if there is a whiff of criticism or dislike? He’ll mock you in the aftermath of your death. It is calculating and cruel. It’s the kind of behavior that should get someone shunned from polite society. Instead, the author continues to sit in the Oval Office, thinking he’s done nothing wrong.
Way back in January 2016 when then-candidate Donald Trump was running for president the first time, he said this about his supporters during an Iowa campaign rally: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK? It’s, like, incredible.” That stunningly prescient admission has been brought up countless times since then. It was shocking at the moment but time has proven it correct. No matter what Trump does, he still has unwavering support from millions of Americans. Even if it is reprehensible navel-gazing that makes light of bloodshed. See, if you were severely critical of Donald Trump in life, you deserve the ultimate retribution in your death. At least that’s what can be surmised from the president when he says, “Rob Reiner…has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
When Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a college event in Orem, Utah in September, far too many leftists celebrated. It was and is unacceptably evil to rejoice when anyone is harmed. Kirk, an innocent man, was shot in the neck and bled out for merely sharing his opinions. It doesn’t matter if you liked his politics, manner of speaking, his arguments, or his powerful organization, TPUSA. Absolutely none of that meant he deserved to be killed. Most human beings who possess a modicum of morality understand this. Without skipping a beat, the same exact template applies to Rob and Michele Reiner and their murders. Nothing they said or did, even extremely harsh words about or hatred of Donald Trump means anyone should make light of their deaths. Even the target of their derision.
Celebrating or joking about Charlie Kirk’s death is not edgy, righteous, or morally clever. That same applies when it is aimed at Rob or Michele Reiner. Political alignment does not magically turn the need for basic decency on or off. If you think mocking death is abhorrent when it happens to “your side,” then it is equally abhorrent when it happens to someone you despise. Anything else is not principle; it’s tribalism dressed up as virtue. You don’t get to claim the moral high ground while cheering the death of a person simply because you hated their politics.
We should all follow these basic tenets of morality. Consistency is important and as we’re all well aware, it’s sorely lacking on both sides of the aisle.
It is deeply disappointing to see the president of the United States act in such a way toward the memory of a human being who was made as much in God’s image as Trump’s beloved Charlie Kirk. Donald Trump is nearly 80. He’s had plenty of time to mature past this schoolyard bully stage. But he chooses not to. His words and actions are simply unbecoming of the leader of our great nation. I wouldn’t even tolerate this kind of behavior from my 5-year-old.
Thankfully, it seems, most people were appalled at Trump’s words. Sure, there were still far too many who thought he said nothing wrong. But refreshingly, there was plenty of condemnation to be found online. It appears some finally found the line they will not cross in support of Donald Trump.
In September, Rob Reiner was a guest on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored. Morgan asked Reiner, “When you first heard about the murder of Charlie Kirk, what was your immediate, gut reaction to it?” Reiner responded with the following:
“Well, horror. Absolute horror. And I unfortunately saw the video of it. And it’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems. And I felt like what his wife said at the service, at the memorial they had, was exactly right. Totally. I’m Jewish but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in do unto others, and I believe in forgiveness. And what she said to me was beautiful, she forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.”
Charlie Kirk and Rob Reiner did not share the same political beliefs. But that doesn’t matter. In a lovely display of humanity, Reiner showed true compassion when talking about both Charlie Kirk and Erika Krik. That’s the kind of reaction we should have seen from the president of the United States.
Whether you’re a regular citizen going about your daily life or the leader of the free world, we all have a duty to turn down the temperature of hatred and division. We should never wait for the other side to make the first move. It’s even more disturbing when it’s the president of the United States who reacts in a manner that rejects not only all we’ve been taught, but all we’re preached to our ideological foes.
Charlie Kirk’s life mattered. Rob Reiner’s life mattered. Neither deserved such a tragic, brutal end. In times like this, we must set aside politics and choose to see the human being first. This is a reminder for all of us. And for the president of the United States, it’s a lesson he desperately – and finally – needs to learn.
Kimberly Ross
