In the aftermath of news about the death of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, former President Donald Trump posted the following on his Truth Social account. I am reproducing it here verbatim for the record, not in agreement:

“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. He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”

I grew up on Rob Reiner’s work. Like millions of others, I associated his films with humor, warmth, and a belief that decency still mattered. That’s why this post lands so hard.

Whatever one’s politics, this was a moment for restraint. Instead, it became an exercise in mockery—reducing real loss to name-calling, inventing diagnoses, and settling political scores at the precise moment when silence would have been the most human response.

Leadership isn’t tested when things are easy. It’s tested in moments like this. And this response failed that test