Fox host Greg Gutfeld defended President Trump after the president faced backlash for a Truth Social post following the fatal stabbing of director Rob Reiner and his wife. During a discussion on The Five, co-host Harold Ford Jr. called Trump’s remarks wrong and urged him to correct them. Gutfeld said he separates Trump’s words from his deeds and understands why people are upset. Several Fox contributors, including Kennedy, Joe Concha, Brit Hume, and Andy McCarthy, publicly condemned the president’s comments.
Gutfeld Defends Trump After Reiner Murder Remarks: "I Just Look at the Deeds"
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld moved to defend President Donald Trump on Monday after the president drew widespread criticism for comments he posted following the fatal stabbing of director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner.
The exchange unfolded during a segment of The Five, where co-host Harold Ford Jr. said, "If Joe Biden had said this about anybody, I would have attacked him and said he was completely wrong. I do hope the president comes back and corrects himself."
Gutfeld replied:
He was asked to and he didn’t, and I think the thing is, you don’t have to like the things that he says all the time. That is why, in my filter, Trump is always words versus deeds. I don’t have to like what he says. In fact, I could hate what he says. But I can also think, in his brain, he’s gone, “Uh, this guy compared me to Hitler. He put a target on my back. I don’t like him.” If it were me, I’d go like, “But I’m sorry he’s dead,” but he can’t let that go? We don’t have to like it, I just look at the deeds, but I get why you’re upset.
Ford responded sharply: "It’s wrong. I don’t disagree with you, but it’s wrong, and we should be able to call out right and wrong." He added, "That’s wrong what he did."
Trump sparked outrage after posting on Truth Social about the fatal attack. In part, his post read:
“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”
Trump later doubled down during a Q&A in the Oval Office, saying, "Well, I wasn’t a fan of his at all. He was a deranged person, as far as Trump is concerned [...] He became like a deranged person. Trump Derangement Syndrome. So I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country."
Several Fox contributors publicly condemned the president’s remarks. Kennedy called them "disgusting" and "unnecessary," Joe Concha labeled the comments "completely inappropriate," and Brit Hume criticized Trump for politicizing Reiner’s death. Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy said he was at a loss for words.
The segment highlights a split among conservative commentators about separating a public figure's rhetoric from their actions, and whether Trump's response to the tragedy crossed a line. Watch the full segment on Fox News for additional context.
