Trump refuses to take back his statement on Rob Reiner, calls him a “deranged person,” and refers to himself in third person

Even after bipartisan backlash, Donald Trump has refused to take back his Truth Social post blaming Rob Reiner and his wife’s murder on “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Despite being directly asked if he regretted it, Trump didn’t apologize. He doubled down and strangely, referred to himself in the third person.

Following the Mexican Border Defense Medal Presentation on Monday, December 15, Trump took questions from the press. Soon, one reporter raised the issue many were waiting for: Trump’s Truth Social post from seven hours earlier.

The sadistic post was about the murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele. Trump falsely suggested that Reiner’s death was caused by his “incurable affliction” with what Trump calls “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” He claimed that Reiner’s obsession with him drove people “crazy,” almost suggesting that’s why his son murdered him.

The post had already drawn widespread condemnation, including from Republicans, for its tone and content. So, the reporter asked Trump a straightforward question: Did he stand by the post? But the president immediately shifted away from the substance of the question. He said,

“Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned.”

Trump called Rob Reiner “deranged” again, refused to take his post down

That landed with a thud. He also went on to rehash old grievances, accusing Reiner of promoting the “Russian hoax” and claiming the filmmaker “hurt himself, career-wise” by criticizing Trump.

“I think he hurt himself career-wise. He became like a deranged person, Trump derangement syndrome, so I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape, or form. I thought he was very bad for our country.”

At no point did Trump acknowledge the brutality of the crime that took away Rob Reiner. He didn’t express sympathy or address the central criticism that blaming a murder on a political obsession is grotesque. Instead, he reframed the question as whether he personally liked Reiner, something no one had asked.

But people noticed the dodge immediately. One user on X summed it up: “Trump wasn’t asked if he liked Rob Reiner. He was asked whether he stood by his own words. He still didn’t answer.” Another translated Trump’s response more bluntly: “I not only stand by my statement, but I’m sorry I didn’t use harsher words.”

Trump bizarrely spoke about himself in third-person narrative

Meanwhile, several people fixated on the way Trump spoke, referring to himself in the third person. “Why does this guy keep saying ‘as far as Trump is concerned’? Does he not realize he is Trump?” one asked. Another jabbed, “‘He was a deranged person,’ said the man who speaks about himself in the third person.”

One even suggested that the third-person habit is “another sign of early-stage dementia.” While another went even further, writing, “Is he schizophrenic now and thinks that Trump is a voice he hears? Is he fracturing into multiple van personalities?” But beneath the mockery was a clearer pattern that many pointed out.

“This is how Trump handles accountability,” one wrote. “Dodge the question, smear the critic, move on.” Even after he got an opportunity to correct himself, Trump chose instead to insult Rob Reiner, reaffirm his psychotic narrative, and center himself as the aggrieved party.