Rob Reiner, the director and activist with progressive ideas that infuriated Trump
The filmmaker, who was murdered on Sunday, was a devoted Democrat who long championed causes opposed to Trumpism. He also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to progressive campaigns
Sick, obsessive, deranged, bad for America. These are some of the words President Donald Trump used to describe the renowned film director and actor Rob Reiner shortly after he and his wife were found dead, presumably murdered by their middle son, who was arrested on Monday. Without mincing words or using euphemisms, the Republican leader justified the couple’s tragic death by citing the “anger” that Reiner allegedly provoked in others with his “raging obsession” with the president. The fact is that Reiner was a devoted Democrat who championed many causes and ideals opposed to Trumpism.
Reiner, who died at age 78, was known for his political activism and his ties to the Democratic Party and several of its most prominent figures, including presidents, presidential candidates, and legislators. He was also an outspoken critic of the current president. In recent interviews, the director had repeatedly referred to the Republican as a threat to American democracy and warned that the country was headed toward an “autocracy.”
“Trump has declared war on this democracy,” he told CNN last September. “I mean, first of all, he throws people out of the country without due process. He takes funds that were appropriated by Congress, refuses to distribute them in clear contradiction to the Constitution, separation of powers. He’s browbeating businesses and universities and law firms. [...] this is a man who’s a convicted felon, an adjudicated sex offender and fraud, a business fraud.”
In another interview with The Guardian, published in 2024, a few months before the presidential election that Trump would ultimately win decisively, Reiner asserted that the Republican “basically lies every minute of his life” and compared him to “a zombie or a cockroach.” In last year’s election, the director initially supported former president Joe Biden’s candidacy, as he did in the 2020 election that the Democrat won against Trump. He then joined the chorus of calls for Biden to withdraw from the race and endorsed then-vice president Kamala Harris when she replaced Biden on the ticket.
After the 2016 election, in which Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, whose campaign Reiner also supported, the film director joined other big names in Hollywood to found the Committee to Investigate Russia in 2017, a non-profit organization whose goal was to disseminate information about Russia’s role in the election that brought the Republican candidate to the White House for the first time. Reiner served on the group’s advisory board.
Trump addressed this issue on Monday afternoon in one of his statements regarding Reiner’s murder. “He said that I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. In the Russia hoax, he was one of the people behind it. I think he hurt himself career-wise. He became like a deranged person,” the president opined. It should be noted that multiple official U.S. investigations and intelligence assessments concluded that Russia did interfere in the 2016 elections.
Throughout his life, Reiner and his wife Michele donated approximately $2.7 million to support the Democrats, including $100,000 to help Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign, according to The New York Times. In election years, it was common for the director to organize and participate in fundraising events, as well as rallies and other campaign activities.
Reflecting his commitment to the Democratic Party, several former U.S. presidents have expressed their condolences. Barack Obama praised his “lifelong commitment” to putting his convictions into practice. “Together, he and his wife lived purposeful lives. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired,” he added. Bill and Hillary Clinton said in a statement that the couple “made everyone who knew them better through their active citizenship in defense of an inclusive democracy.”
Besides the national stage, Reiner was always involved in politics in California, where he resided until his death. In fact, his name was mentioned several times as a possible candidate for state governor. He was instrumental in the repeal of Proposition 8, a ballot measure passed by the California legislature in 2008 to ban same-sex marriage, which was later blocked. He was also a champion of early childhood education. He led a campaign in the state that culminated in the passage of Proposition 10, a tax on tobacco products to fund children’s health and education programs. His anti-smoking views — he also opposed the depiction of cigarettes on screen — was so strong that even the creators of the satirical series South Park portrayed him as a passionate advocate for the cause.
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