Adding insult to tragedy only deepens the pain
Peters Township, Pa.: The horror of the brutal slaying of Rob and Michele Reiner in their Hollywood home was bad enough. What the president said made it worse.
President Trump told us that Reiner was a “deranged person” who “drove people crazy,” and that his death was caused by “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” He said, “I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape or form.” When asked about his comments by a member of the media, he doubled down as he always does. That’s because he is never wrong and never needs to apologize for any atrocious thing he has said or done. Thankfully, even many Republicans acknowledged that what the president said went beyond the pale, offering rare criticism of him.
The president could have handled the situation properly in one of two ways. He could have remained silent, recognizing that he need not comment on every notable event that is not related to his position, or he could have said something to the effect of, “It is well-known that Rob Reiner and I had our differences. We saw eye-to-eye on virtually nothing and he was a harsh critic of mine. Nevertheless, I was saddened to learn of the tragic murder of Reiner and his wife. No one deserves such a fate. I offer my condolences to those who loved him.” Either of these paths would have required a level of restraint and basic human decency, traits nowhere to be found in the degenerate who was elected to lead us. This president delights in having made the extraordinary grief felt by the Reiner family even more intense. Oren Spiegler
A new low
Forest Hills: This letter is written to denounce the recent posting from this so-called president over the tragic deaths of famed actor/director/political activist Reiner and his wife Michele, apparently at the hands of their troubled, drug addict son Nick. This post from this delusional idiot in chief is probably his most vile and depraved yet. He blamed the director’s death on — I kid you not! — “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and that Reiner’s hatred of him spurred some “Grump” supporter to snuff his life out, even though it was the couple’s son who is charged with their murders. Time and time again, this deluded person in the Oval Office ridiculously blames the wrong side for someone’s demise. He did it after the assassination of right-wing guru Charlie Kirk and in many other instances. Ron Gersh
Self-diagnosis
Bronx: Trump Derangement Syndrome is the perfect description for the mental situation plaguing his majesty. Stephen Markbreit
Self-obsessed
Ozone Park: Trump’s Truth Social posts on the homicides of Reiner and his wife indicates how deranged Trump really is. No one in his position should have the twisted audacity to publicly post views like that. They reveal how seriously Trump is incarcerated in his own mindset. Ray Hackinson
Bottomless brutishness
Howard Beach: At this very tragic time, only a man as soulless and callous as Trump would say that Reiner is to blame for his own death because of Reiner’s opposition to him. Every time you think that Trump can’t sink any lower, he manages to show us how heartless he is. Barbara Berg
Someone save us
Manhattan: When you think he can’t sink any lower with his vitriol, he does. I think, however, that his acknowledgement of a derangement syndrome indicates how deranged he really is. Many Americans are subject to the syndrome since he won office in 2016 based on his lies, criminal activities, corrupt practices and overall embarrassment to us United States citizens. This being the holiday season, isn’t it a good time for a Messiah to come and rescue us? I am not alone in my thinking, as I am sure other writers to your paper will substantiate. Jack Weiss
Out of your league
Congers, N.Y.: To Trump: Rob Reiner was 10,000 times the man you will ever be. Beth Friscino
Shared his gifts
Brooklyn: The son of comedian Carl Reiner has left his mark on TV’s classic comedy since “All in the Family,” with some of the funniest when he was in Archie Bunker’s place, and carved his own life landing and throwing jokes all around for America to catch and interpret. He was always funny, a character actor taking over the screen. Along with Sally Struthers, he was a comic legend. On “All in the Family,” he portrayed Mike “Meathead” Stivic to Bunker’s very opinionated character. As an actor and director, Reiner worked on “This Is Spinal Tap,” directed “The Sure Thing” and left a legacy in the Hollywood TV and movie landscape forever. Raquel Hanon
Corporate complicity
Manhattan: I went cold turkey on Amazon years ago when small businesses in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side started to disappear, throwing local people out of work and leaving us living in a place with less local character. Now people are boycotting Amazon for Jeff Bezos’ cozy relationship with the Trump regime, his contribution of millions to Trump’s inauguration committee and to building his golden ballroom. Lots of companies have thrown their lot in with Trump hoping for favorable treatment or to influence policy, or obeying in advance to his regressive views — Daniel Ek’s Spotify, Ted Decker’s Home Depot, Andrew Levy’s Avela Airlines and Bruce Van Saun’s Citizens Bank are helping ICE cruelly round up people here legally or not. Brian Cornell’s Target dropped its DEI program and whipped LGBTQ items off their shelves. It’s time to withdraw our consumer dollars from these companies to protest their actions. Laurie Aron
Out of vogue?
Itasca, Ill.: In his last speech before leaving the presidency in 1989, Ronald Reagan said, “We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust.” If Reagan lived in 2025, how popular would he be in MAGA circles? Jim Newton
Tribal thinking
Manhattan: The biggest problem the world faces is that there are too many people like guest columnist Ben Krull (“Chanukah and the Zionism of my own imagination,” op-ed, Dec. 14) — people who feel more at home in the company of members of a 5,000-year-old community than they do as part of the community of man. Before Krull’s religious text and those of others were written, we were all simply human beings trying to survive in a world where survival is difficult. Krull makes it worse by clinging to the notion that there is something special about his ancestors from 5,000 years ago. Every attempt to distinguish one community from the others only diminishes us as a species. Steven Davies
Law & disorders
Manhattan: City Councilman Robert Holden’s response to mentally ill Kerri Aherne’s stabbing of a mother at Macy’s is all too typical of the conservative mindset, blaming “progressive” policies for the tragedy. How many more cops would have prevented that stabbing? 1,000? 10,000? One real culprit is not bail reform, but items like the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980, a bipartisan measure that closed many mental health facilities nationwide. Though well-intended, these closures have led to homelessness, lack of treatment, and in some cases incarceration of people just like Aherne. The solution is not more cops, but more intelligent consideration of the other tools that can be used to improve public safety. Holden’s caveman remarks might get him a few votes, but they do nothing to actually address these safety concerns. Michael Barnhart
Ones to blame
Far Rockaway: A Voicer wrote that the Democrats “caved” on the Affordable Care Act subsidies. They did not! The American public will now realize that the butt-kissing Republicans will not stand up for their constituents, or anyone else, for that matter. Ora Reed
First principles
Bronx: Voicer Rick Duskiewicz mentions the media’s description of porch pirates as a “cutesy” term. However, I’m sure most Daily News readers would describe these people as thieves who are violating the Eighth Commandment, which is “Thou shalt not steal.” Perhaps more public displays of the Ten Commandments would bring us more peace and safety in our communities. Chet Walker
