WATCH: Trump defends response to Rob Reiner’s killing despite GOP criticism

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday blamed Rob Reiner’s outspoken opposition to the president for the killing of the actor and director, making a baseless claim in a shocking post that seemed intent on denouncing his opponents even in the face of tragedy.

The statement, even for Trump, was a shocking comment that came at a time when police were still investigating the death of the director and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, as an apparent homicide. The couple was found dead in their home on Sunday in Los Angeles. Investigators believe they had stab wounds and the couple’s son, Nick Rayner, was in police custody early Monday.

Read more: An Associated Press source says Rob Reiner’s son Nick was arrested after the famous director and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home.

Trump has a long record of inflammatory statements, but his comments in a social media post were a radical departure from the role presidents typically play in offering a message of condolence or tribute after the death of a public figure. His message sparked criticism even from conservatives and his supporters and revealed Trump’s unwillingness to rise above political grievances in moments of crisis.

Trump said, in a post on his social media network, that Reiner and his wife were killed “because of the anger he caused others through his massive, stubborn, and incurable suffering from a mental illness known as Trump Disorder Syndrome.”

He said Reiner “has been known to drive people crazy with his rage-filled obsession with President Donald J. Trump, with his apparent megalomania reaching new heights as the Trump administration has exceeded all goals and expectations of greatness.”

Read more: How is Rob Reiner remembered?

The president did not mention his personal relationship with Rainer’s wife, who was a photographer. Peter Osnos, the original publisher of “The Art of the Deal,” confirmed Monday that Michelle Singer took the cover photo for Trump’s 1987 best-selling book.

Watch Trump’s full event in the video player below.

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who broke with much of his party’s agreement with the president, criticized Trump for the comment.

“No matter how you feel about Rob Reiner, this is an inappropriate and disrespectful speech about a man who was just brutally murdered. I think my GOP elected colleagues, the Vice President, and the White House staff will ignore this because they’re afraid? I challenge anyone to stand up for it,” Massie wrote in a post on X.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican representative from Georgia whom Trump called a “traitor” for disagreeing with him, responded to Trump’s letter by saying: “This is a family tragedy, and it is not about politics or political enemies.”

Republican Reps. Mike Lawler of New York and Stephanie Pace of Oklahoma, not known for their opposition to the White House, also criticized Trump’s message.

Reiner — the director of such beloved films as “The Princess Bride” and “When Harry Met Sally” — was one of the film industry’s most active Democrats and regularly campaigned on behalf of liberal causes and hosted fundraisers. He has been an outspoken critic of Trump, calling him in a 2017 interview with Variety magazine “mentally unfit” to be president and “the most unqualified human being to ever serve as president of the United States.”

The White House, which shared the president’s post, did not respond to a message about the criticism it was receiving and calls for Trump to drop it.

Speaking to reporters at the White House later Monday, Trump doubled down on his criticism of Reiner when asked if he was sticking by his position. Using the third person, Trump said Reiner “was a deranged person for Trump.”

“I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, by any stretch of the imagination,” Trump said. “I thought it was very bad for our country.”

The unsympathetic letter was the latest example of Trump’s harsh perspective on those he views as enemies.

He made revenge on political enemies a central focus of his campaign for the White House last year. He has in the past downplayed violence when it occurs on the other side of the political aisle.

When Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked by an intruder searching for the former House speaker at the family home in San Francisco in 2022 and bashed in the head with a hammer, Trump later mocked the attack.

This is despite his comments after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this year. Trump said Kirk’s killing was “the tragic result of the demonization of those with whom you disagree.”

His administration then sought to impose sanctions on people who criticized Kirk or even celebrated his killing.

Jenna Ellis, who was one of Trump’s lawyers and worked on his 2020 effort to overturn the results of the presidential election, pointed to Trump’s double standards and called his post “not the appropriate response.”

“The right has uniformly condemned the political and celebratory reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death,” Ellis said in a post on X. “This is a terrible example from Trump (and surprising given the two attempts on his life) and should be condemned by all with any decency.”

When Trump spoke at Kirk’s memorial service, he used his remarks to underscore the way he views his opponents.

“I hate my opponent,” the president said.

Associated Press writer Hillel Italie in New York contributed to this report.