President Donald Trump's latest "ugly rant" shows he has lost the ability to control himself, a move that could send the remainder of his second term into "freefall," columnist David Corn of Mother Jones wrote on Monday.
On Monday, Trump lashed out over news that filmmaker and prominent Trump critic Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, had been murdered in their home. In a Truth Social post, Trump blamed Reiner's death on "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a made-up psychological condition Trump's followers created to denigrate the president's critics. Trump doubled down on those comments during a press conference later in the day, saying he was "not a fan" of Reiner.
Corn discussed Trump's comments in a new column.
"Trump’s foul and hate-driven conduct is nothing new. But his post about Rob suggests that he might be losing the ability to restrain himself," Corn wrote. "At a time when his approval ratings are plummeting—and Republicans are paying a price at the polls for this—Trump appears to have no desire (or ability?) to improve his standing by addressing or appealing to Americans who are not part of his cultish base."
Trump has struggled to maintain his base's support during his second term. Cracks began to emerge after the administration undercut the story Trump sold them about the Jeffrey Epstein files during the 2024 campaign and then refused to release the files on their own accord. Those moves sparked backlash from MAGA figures like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY).
Corn said Reiner's death was "red meat" for Trump to continue selling the story to his base about Trump being a "heroic saint" saving the world from the "clutches of an evil cabal of Democrats."
Instead, Trump chose to further alienate people from the MAGA cause, Corn continued.
"It does not take a brilliant mind to know that dumping on a popular filmmaker and actor who has been tragically killed by his own son is not going to help a politician in a freefall," Corn wrote. "Is this another sign of Trump’s unraveling?"
