When a Tragedy Becomes a Test of Our Soul

Grief Is Not a Political Tool

The news of Rob Reiner and his wife Michele being found murdered in their Los Angeles home is a heartbreak that should unite us in sorrow, not sharpen our divisions. Reports indicate both were tragically killed in what law enforcement is investigating as a double homicide. The details are still unfolding, but the loss is real and deeply human.

Rob Reiner was a towering figure in American cinema. He was the actor who first made us laugh as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family, the director of Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally…, and my absolute favorite, A Few Good Men. Michele Reiner was his wife of three decades and was remembered by many for her warmth and steadiness. Whatever one thinks of Rob Reiner’s politics, two human lives have been violently taken, and that alone should stop us in our tracks.

In moments like this, something should happen instinctively in our public discourse. We should lower the temperature. We should show restraint. We should acknowledge the dignity of life, even when the person involved held views radically different from our own.

Instead, President Trump chose to post a message that many, including people who agree with his policies, found deeply distasteful. To mock a man hours after his death, to suggest that his murder was somehow the result of his political criticism, crosses a line. It turns a family’s tragedy into a political punchline. It tramples a grave that has not even settled.

Mr. President, you make it so hard to be supportive of you.

Yes, I agree with most of your policies. Yes, I think critics on the Left often engage in hysterical and disgusting rhetoric. But none of that justifies using a violent death as an opportunity to score points or settle grudges. Regardless of what Reiner said about you or MAGA, there is no need to dishonor a man at the moment of his death.

To those who applauded the presidents post, I would ask a simple question. What does this moment reveal about us? What does it say about our hearts when we can hear of a husband and wife being murdered and our first response is laughter, applause, or justification? At what point did outrage replace empathy as our default setting?

And to my fellow conservatives who are tempted to excuse this because “he fights” or “he says what others won’t,” I would say this: We don’t get to suspend moral standards when it benefits our side. You cannot claim to care about truth, life, and virtue while cheering the degradation of human dignity. Consistency matters.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Trump is not a Messiah. He never has been. There is only one person worthy of our worship, our ultimate allegiance, and our moral submission. When loyalty to a political figure begins to override basic decency, something has gone wrong. How we speak about people, especially in death, reveals far more about the condition of our soul than any policy position ever could.

This was a moment for silence, prayer, and restraint. It was a moment to mourn with those who mourn. It was a moment to show that disagreement does not require dehumanization.

Trump failed that test.

As scripture reminds us,

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles” (Proverbs 24:17).

That verse does not come with a partisan exemption clause. It does not ask who someone voted for, how annoying they were online, or whether they deserved our sympathy. It simply calls us to restraint, humility, and moral clarity.

Jesus said we would be known not by our volume, our cleverness, or our ability to dominate the moment, but by our love. That love does not require agreement. It does require humanity.

There was nothing to gain here by speaking. There was much to lose by doing so.