Pushed Russia Hoax and ‘Knew It was False’

President Donald Trump doubled down on a statement he issued on social media in response to actor-director Rob Reiner’s death, pointing out that he “wasn’t a fan of his at all.”

While taking questions from the press on Monday, Trump was asked about a Truth Social post he made in which he stated Reiner had a “crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” Trump’s post came after the news broke that Reiner — who directed The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally, and his wife, Michele, were found dead inside their Brentwood home.

“Mr. President, a number of Republicans have denounced your statement on Truth Social after the murder of Rob Reiner, do you stand by that post?” a reporter asked.

“Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all,” Trump responded. “He was a deranged person, as far as Trump is concerned. He said — he knew it was false, in fact it’s the exact opposite — that I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. The Russia Hoax — he was one of the people behind it. I think he hurt himself career-wise.”

In September 2017, Rob Reiner joined forces with Barack Obama government alumni, left-wing journalists, and other Trump critics to launch the Committee to Investigate Russia, a “nonprofit, non-partisan resource provided to help Americans recognize and understand the gravity of Russia’s continuing attacks on our democracy,” the group’s website reads. Reiner spent years spreading falsehoods about Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign, repeatedly alleging unproven ties the Kremlin.

Trump went on to accuse Reiner of becoming “deranged” with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) and reiterated that he was “not a fan of Rob Reiner at all.”