Washington (United States) (AFP) - Donald Trump faced a storm of condemnation on Monday after posting “perverse” and “sick” remarks suggesting Rob Reiner and his wife were murdered because of the celebrated filmmaker’s criticism of the US president.

Among those voicing shock were some staunch Trump loyalists, and the remarks triggered a wave of unusually negative responses on the Truth Social network he uses to communicate with his base.

As tributes poured in, Trump claimed the Reiners had died “reportedly due to the anger” that the director had sparked by criticizing the Republican leader.

Trump boasted of his own political success and said Reiner had “driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession” with attacking the president.

The comments came as police announced that Reiner’s son, Nick, had been arrested on suspicion of murder – a development that intensified the backlash.

“I’d expect to hear something like this from a drunk guy at a bar, not the president of the United States,” Nebraska Republican Don Bacon, who retires from the House of Representatives next year, told CNN.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Trump’s fiercest allies in Congress, scolded Trump over his response to a “family tragedy” that was “not about politics or political enemies.”

“Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder,” she posted on X.

- Trump doubles down -

Thomas Massie, another Trump critic on the Republican side of the House of Representatives, called the president’s comments “inappropriate and disrespectful” while New York moderate Mike Lawler called the remarks “wrong.”

Trump has long trafficked in incendiary social media posts, but open rebukes from within his own party were once almost unimaginable.

Asked at a White House medal ceremony whether he stood by his remarks, Trump was unapologetic – doubling down and further vilifying the “When Harry Met Sally” director.

“I think he hurt himself… career wise. He became like a deranged person, Trump derangement syndrome,” Trump said. “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.”

Miles Taylor, a former Trump administration homeland security official who became a prominent internal critic after anonymously publishing a 2019 tell-all book, accused the president of “mocking the dead” and branded him a “sick creep.”

“His attacks on (Republican senator) John McCain after the veteran’s death pushed me to speak out from within his administration. (The) taunting of Rob Reiner’s murder makes me even more determined to defy Trump.”

Reiner was an outspoken critic of Trump, calling the billionaire a threat to American democracy and raising funds for Democratic candidates.

David Axelrod, the former chief strategist to Democratic President Barack Obama, described Trump’s post as “perverse.”

“The absence of empathy & grace for the Reiner family in their moment of profound loss and grief is sad and revealing. For @POTUS, his grievances trumps their grief.”

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Trump had “lost it.”

“Now saying Rob and Michele Reiner caused their own murder because they didn’t support him. So sick,” he wrote.