Michelle Obama Slams Donald Trump Over Remarks Following Rob and Michelle Reiner’s Deaths
Michelle Obama has publicly condemned Donald Trump after the former president made a controversial social media post following the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Reiner. The remarks have sparked widespread outrage across Hollywood and political circles, with critics calling them cruel, inflammatory, and deeply inappropriate.
During a December 15 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the former first lady revealed that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, were supposed to meet the Reiners on the very night the couple was found dead.
“I feel like I should bring this up,” host Jimmy Kimmel said gently, offering his condolences. “I know you and your husband were friends with Rob and Michelle Reiner, and I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Visibly shaken, Michelle Obama responded, “Oh my God. We had known them for many, many years. We were supposed to be seeing them that night, and then we got the news.”
Obama, 61, then addressed Trump’s post on Truth Social, in which he commented on the couple’s deaths by claiming that Reiner suffered from what he called “Trump derangement syndrome.” In the post, Trump described Reiner as “tortured and struggling” and suggested that his outspoken political views contributed to his demise—remarks many viewed as both baseless and offensive.
“Let me just say this,” Obama said firmly. “Unlike some people, Rob and Michelle Reiner were some of the most decent, courageous people you could ever want to know. They were not deranged or crazed.”
She continued, emphasizing that what defined the Reiners was not anger or obsession, but conviction and integrity. “They were passionate people in a time when there isn’t a lot of courage going on. They put their actions behind what they believed in. They cared about their family, they cared about this country, and they cared about fairness and equity. That is the truth. I do know them.”
Jimmy Kimmel also addressed Trump’s post during his monologue earlier in the week, sharply criticizing the tone and content of the message.
“It’s so hateful and vile,” Kimmel said. “Just when you think he can’t go any lower, he finds a way. Insulting someone who has just been murdered, who leaves children behind, without having any idea what actually happened—it’s unbelievable.”
Kimmel added that when he first saw the post, he assumed it had to be fake. “Even for him, that seemed like too much,” he said. “But nothing is ever too much for him.”
While Trump faced backlash from celebrities and politicians across the spectrum—including a small number of Republicans—he appeared to double down on his remarks during a press conference on Monday.
Asked whether he stood by the post, Trump replied that he was “not a fan” of Reiner and repeated his claims that the director had suffered from “Trump derangement syndrome,” accusing him of promoting false narratives related to Russia and damaging his own career.
On December 14, Rob and Michelle Reiner were found dead at their Brentwood home in what authorities are investigating as an apparent homicide. The following day, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that the couple’s son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, had been taken into custody and booked on suspicion of murder. He is currently being held without bail as the investigation continues.
As tributes pour in for the Reiners, many have echoed Michelle Obama’s words—remembering the couple not for political battles, but for their courage, compassion, and lifelong commitment to the values they believed in.
