Adding insult to tragedy only deepens the pain

Peters Township, Pa.: The shocking murder of Rob and Michele Reiner in their Hollywood home has been met with widespread horror. President Trump’s remarks, however, have added a new layer of controversy to the tragedy.

In a statement, President Trump described Rob Reiner as a “deranged person” whose death he attributed to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” He further commented, “I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all in any way, shape, or form.” When pressed by the media about his remarks, the president refused to back down, consistent with his pattern of not retracting statements or apologizing. His comments have drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle, with even some Republicans condemning the insensitivity of his words.

The president had the option to approach the situation with tact. He might have chosen to stay silent, acknowledging that not every event warrants his commentary. Alternatively, he could have expressed condolences by saying, “Although Rob Reiner and I had our differences and he was a vocal critic, I am saddened by the tragic loss of him and his wife. No one should meet such a fate, and my thoughts are with those who mourn him.” Such a response would have required a level of restraint and empathy, qualities that critics argue he lacks. Instead, his comments seem to magnify the pain experienced by the Reiner family during this difficult time. Oren Spiegler

A new low

Forest Hills: I am compelled to speak out against the recent statements made by the president regarding the tragic deaths of esteemed actor, director, and activist Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, allegedly at the hands of their son Nick, who is struggling with drug addiction. The president’s comments, suggesting that Reiner’s death was due to “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” are among his most reprehensible. He insinuated, absurdly, that Reiner’s disdain for him somehow led a supporter of his own to commit such an act, despite the fact that the couple’s son is the one accused. The president has a history of misattributing blame, as seen in the aftermath of other notable incidents such as the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk. Ron Gersh

Self-diagnosis

Bronx: The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” seems ironically fitting to describe the president’s own mental state. Stephen Markbreit

Self-obsessed

Ozone Park: The president’s posts on Truth Social regarding the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner are a testament to his distorted mindset. It’s disturbing that someone in his position feels justified in making such public statements, revealing how entrenched he is in his own worldview. 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