Some Thoughts On Trump's Repulsive Post About Rob Reiner
The reaction from Trump's base on his Truth Social platform represents the biggest wave of criticism he's ever faced from his most devout supporters.
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My Recent Articles and Media
VIDEO: The Cynical Manipulation of the Bondi Massacre
The way to Jewish security is to unite the fight against antisemitism with the fight against all forms of and bigotry. Israel is on the other side of that fight, as are all forces who want to treat antisemitism as separate from other hate. But fighting hate with hate, as we saw in Bondi and as we occasionally see in much smaller forms at some demonstrations, is self-defeating.
YouTube, December 16, 2025
Some thoughts on the Donald Trump-Rob Reiner controversy.
As I’ve said before, I follow the Orange Mussolini on his Truth Social platform. I do that more than anything else to see how his army of sycophants is responding to his output (after all, the media regurgitates his ramblings quickly enough). And I have to say, I’ve never seen a response to him like this one in that forum.
Overwhelmingly, the comments on his statement after Rob Reiner’s murder have been critical, sometimes sharply so. The most common reaction is disappointment, but also some real offense being taken.
While this may be surpassed if there is anything really damaging to Trump in the Epstein files when and if they are released (with the deadline for doing so being this week), I can honestly say that even the Epstein stuff has not come close, yet, to the level of criticism Trump has faced from his own base over his comments about Reiner.
Why is it so much greater? I think it is a result of a major disconnect between Trump and his base.
Donald Trump absolutely hates Rob Reiner. The reason for that dates back to the whole “Russiagate” episode from Trump’s first term. Reiner was among the most active and vocal people, especially among those who do not hold official or semi-official positions in the Democratic party, pushing the Russian interference allegations and calling for a full investigation.
Ironically, it was actually Trump’s own derangement over the issue that prevented him from scoring a much bigger win in that regard. As I thought was clear at the time, while Russian interference in the election was real, it was not a significant factor in Trump’s victory in that election. The controversy was a desperate attempt by Democrats, in the wake of some really shady acts to win the primary for Hillary Clinton (and thereby casting off the candidate who was considerably more likely to win the general election, Bernie Sanders), to blame someone other than themselves for their failure.
But Reiner, a long-time Democratic activist, was a prominent supporter of the idea. Trump never forgot that.
The thing is, his supporters did. So, for them, this was their beloved Fuhrer lashing out after the murder of someone who disagreed with him politically, not anyone special. Moreover, for many on the right, Reiner was a man they disagreed with but one who made films they grew up with and loved, whether that was A Few Good Men, Misery, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally, or even, I imagine for some, The Princess Bride. Hell, some of them many even remember Reiner fondly from his days on All In The Family.
By no means am I saying that the MAGAts are jumping ship over this. But they were feeling themselves after the murder of Charlie Kirk and the alleged indifference or even, in their minds, celebration of it by “the left,” and never mind that there was nothing of the kind. This message from Trump knocked them off that high horse and, for the first time, made them doubt their Palpatine.
I am less confident than others that disillusionment with Trump will destroy MAGA. It remains to be seen whether some of the smart haters around him (like Stephen Miller, Russel Vought, and Susie Wiles) can find a new charismatic leader and keep the wheels of authoritarianism spinning (no, JD Vance ain’t it).
But undermining the blind faith in Trump would be a major boon toward being able to withstand the current push toward authoritarianism. And, as it turns out, this—not even the Epstein files—has turned into the biggest crack in Trump’s faithful base to date.
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