President Donald Trump’s reaction to the brutal murder of Rob Reiner and his wife has drawn condemnation from all sides of the political aisle, and an Evangelical preacher offered the strongest rebuke.
Trump responded to news of the killings by posting on Truth Social, where he appeared to tie the crime to Reiner’s outspoken opposition to him. In the post, Trump blamed what he described as Reiner’s “massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,” claiming the director’s politics had driven others “CRAZY” and framing the tragedy as a byproduct of his criticism of the president.
Russell Moore, the editor in chief of Christianity Today, shared Trump’s post and let the president have a piece of his mind. Moore, an evangelical preacher and former senior official at the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote, “How this vile, disgusting, and immoral behavior has become normalized in the United States is something our descendants will study in school, to the shame of our generation.”
Moore has previously criticized Trump when he believes the president’s words or actions conflict with Christian teaching. In 2023, Moore published Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call For Evangelical America, a book focused on the influence of partisan politics within evangelical culture.
How this vile, disgusting, and immoral behavior has become normalized in the United States is something our descendants will study in school, to the shame of our generation. pic.twitter.com/U2KCiI1yqo
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) December 15, 2025
In interviews promoting the book, Moore said pastors have described resistance from congregants when preaching messages centered on compassion and restraint. “And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, ‘I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ,’ the response would not be, ‘I apologize,’” Moore said, “‘The response would be, ‘Yes, but that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak.’”
Moore was not alone in criticizing Trump’s remarks, as several conservative commentators and elected officials also objected to the president’s decision to inject politics into a double murder. “Regardless of how you felt about Rob Reiner, this is inappropriate and disrespectful discourse about a man who was just brutally murdered,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, continuing, “I guess my elected GOP colleagues, the VP, and White House staff will just ignore it because they’re afraid? I challenge anyone to defend it.”
Former Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said of Reiner and his wife’s tragic murder that “a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.”
The criticism did not prompt a retreat as Trump followed up by repeating the same framing in later comments, again emphasizing Reiner’s opposition to him and dismissing objections to his original post. He was asked: “Republicans have denounced your statement on Rob Reiner. Do you stand by it?” Then responded, “I wasn’t a fan of his. He was a deranged person.”
The continued remarks extended the controversy well beyond the initial post, keeping Trump’s response in the headlines as reactions continued to mount. Religious leaders, media figures, and politicians continued to respond throughout the day, with Moore’s condemnation becoming one of the most widely shared critiques from within the evangelical community.
