Trump's comments on Rob Reiner another sad reminder that he can't stay out of his own way

By Gary Abernathy

If Trump’s ‘retribution campaign’ really targeted his biggest enemies, he’d have to start by indicting himself

Donald Trump demonstrates time and again that he is his own worst enemy.

We were all waiting for it, weren’t we? We dreaded it, like a root canal, but we knew it couldn’t be avoided — President Donald Trump’s comment on the murder of Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.

We didn’t know exactly what Trump would say, but we knew, based on historic patterns, that it would be rude, crude and completely inappropriate. We hoped against hope that Trump might rise above his penchant for saying the worst thing at the worst time, but deep inside we knew that dream was wishful thinking.

And yet, somehow, Trump managed to outdo himself.

On Truth Social, Trump posted that the Reiners were murdered “reportedly due to the anger (Rob) 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!”

“TDS,” which I agree is a real condition afflicting millions, had nothing to do with the killings, according to what we know. The Reiners’ long-troubled son, Nick, has been charged with their murder.

Yes, Reiner attacked Trump

It’s true that Rob Reiner was a longtime far-left liberal, a big leftwing activist long before Trump came along. Trump did, indeed, seem to push Reiner’s buttons in ways that really set him off.

Beginning from the time Trump first sought the presidency, Reiner has called Trump the usual things his enemies call him — mentally unfit, a threat to democracy, a vehicle for the rise of Christian nationalism, a criminal, a liar — all the usual timeworn stuff.

Reiner was also involved in perpetuating one of the biggest political hoaxes of our time, the Russian collusion charade. In 2017, Reiner founded “The Committee to Investigate Russia,” a non-profit designed to examine “key players in the alleged collusion, congressional investigations of the alleged collusion, timeline details, and history of allegations.”

It’s understandable why Trump particularly disliked Reiner and his Russia-focused group.

As Influence Watch noted, “The Committee’s mainstreaming of alleged Russia collusion in the 2016 U.S. Presidential campaign was primarily aimed at the general public as opposed to policymakers, politicos, or cultural leaders. Through utilizing a mix of government and media experts alongside Hollywood celebrities, the Committee helped ‘Russian collusion’ become a featured part of stories in the entertainment world and across social media.”

While Russia did indeed try to influence the 2016 campaign — just as it has tried to influence every U.S. presidential election in modern history — there was no collusion between Trump or his campaign and Russia, despite the allegations from Reiner, leading Democrats and most of the far-left (formerly mainstream) media.

He was a happy warrior

On the other hand, Reiner, the son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, was an amiable, generally happy leftwing warrior. He did not seem to be what too many are, a nutcase liberal eaten up with anger and bitterness toward the right. Reiner engaged in civil discourse with those who disagreed with him, including appearing with Laura Ingraham on her Fox News show to discuss Trump, a visit Ingraham recalled with fondness this week.

And when Charlie Kirk was murdered, Reiner did not join those on the left who celebrated the horrible event. Reiner responded as a human being should react.

Reiner said he was horrified by Kirk’s murder, adding, “I unfortunately saw the video of it and it’s beyond belief what happened to him and that should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable.”

Reiner said he appreciated Erika Kirk’s comments at her husband’s memorial. “What his wife said at … the memorial they had was exactly right. And totally I believe — you know I’m Jewish — but I believe in the teachings of Jesus and I believe… in forgiveness … And what she said to me was beautiful — you know she forgave his assassin and I think that that is admirable.”

While Reiner’s political views lumped him with most of Hollywood, I always enjoyed him as an actor and I appreciated his skills as a director.

His role as liberal activist Mike Stivic on “All in the Family” was under-appreciated. His heated debates with his conservative father-in-law Archie Bunker (portrayed by Carroll O’Connor) on the issues of the day (early 1970s, everything from Vietnam to Nixon to civil rights to drugs) were gems, combining passion, anger and humor.

The beauty of “All in the Family” was that rather than vilify Mike or Archie for their beliefs, viewers were encouraged to understand why the characters had developed their particular convictions.

Over the show’s run, Archie became less bigoted and more understanding of the left, and Mike became somewhat more conservative and, yes, understanding of the right. Mike and Archie ended up caring deeply for each other, as demonstrated by this clip showing Mike and Archie saying goodbye as the Stivics prepare to move to California.

The show’s creator, Norman Lear, was a huge liberal, but he guided the program with a deft touch sensitive to all sides, which helped make “All in the Family” one of the biggest hits in TV history.

Reiner went on to direct some of the most popular movies of our era. My favorites include “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “A Few Good Men.” His hits included comedy, romance and drama, as evidenced by those titles. His first directorial effort, “This Is Spinal Tap” practically invented the “mockumentary,” as others have noted.

If only Trump had a heart

When the Reiners were murdered, Trump could have chosen to say nothing. Or he could have taken the opportunity to say something like, “Even though Rob Reiner was a political opponent, he was a talented actor and filmmaker who was admired by millions. Melania and I send our condolences to the family and will keep them in our prayers.”

Can you imagine the goodwill Trump would have engendered by such a comment?

Of course, neither silence nor saying something appropriate were ever really possibilities when it comes to this president, to the eternal chagrin of those of us who generally support Trump’s policies and his MAGA movement.

The Washington Examiner’s Byron York said it best in a tweet commenting on Trump’s embarrassing post.

York tweeted, “This seems reminiscent of the ‘mean tweets’ period of Trump’s first term, when many supporters and independents, especially women, would say they mostly approved of what Trump was doing but wished he would not say such harsh things. They hoped Trump would stick with his policies but smooth down some of his rougher edges.

“Many, many people have wanted to change Trump to make him conform more closely with conventional expectations of public civility. But they learn that Trump is Trump, and he is not going to change. The good and the bad are in the same person. So they make a choice.

“Trump gloated about the death of a critic who had just been brutally murdered. He also reduced the flow of illegal border crossers to zero from the catastrophic levels of the Biden administration. Some of his supporters wish he would stop doing the former while continue doing the latter. But it doesn’t work that way.”

It apparently will never work that way, but the real tragedy of that truth is that Trump will forever be the main impediment to ever being regarded as a great president by the general population or by history.

Trump’s wins obscured by his sulks

During his first term, I wrote a 2019 Washington Post piece headlined, “Can Trump be remembered as a great president?” I discussed visits I made to high schools and universities to discuss Trump.

I noted that during one such visit, “A faculty member volunteered that Trump is failing younger Americans because he does not seem to care that, although policies and actions are important, a president setting a good example as a human being is just as crucial. The presidents under which most of today’s students came of age — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — certainly exhibited those qualities, most students agreed.”

I wrote that while Trump might be successful policy-wise, “it is unlikely that he will ever be regarded as among our greatest presidents. Such a designation requires the approval of not just supporters, but, as time passes, also detractors,” such as largely happened with Ronald Reagan.

I concluded, “Millions of Americans are willing to shrug off Trump’s malice, believing it is offset by the needed disruption he is bringing to a stale and corrupted political swamp. But for millions of others, including many among our next generation of leaders, the absence in the White House of someone they can emulate, or teach their children to admire, will leave a lasting stain. Even as they might occasionally like what Trump does, they will forever despise who he is.”

Nearly seven years later, Trump has done nothing to demonstrate that he understands or cares that his legacy depends not just on achieving significant political accomplishments.

And make no mistake, Trump’s successes on securing the border, reversing the liberal “woke” social movement that had been building over decades, and unleashing American energy while rolling back the destructive Biden subsidies favored by the climate cult are truly historic victories, among others.

But his man-child personality traits, his penchant for unnecessary verbal cruelties, and his unbridled narcissism will forever prevent him from being regarded as a great president.

Trump’s political enemies accuse him of being on a “retribution campaign,” abusing the Department of Justice to target his opponents. Even if true, no one need worry that Trump will succeed — not as long as he fails to realize that his biggest enemy is the one who looks back at him in the mirror every day.

Prayers for the souls of Rob and Michele Reiner, and condolences to all who loved them.