The broad daylight murder of a healthcare executive has sparked intense national debate, with the shooter gaining unexpected online support and some members of Congress using the incident to push for healthcare reform. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, has remained at the center of the conversation following the shocking killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The incident even made its way to Saturday Night Live, where host Chris Rock addressed it during his opening monologue.
“I have real condolences for the healthcare CEO. I mean, this is a real person, you know?” Rock said. “But you also got to go, ‘sometimes drug dealers get shot.’”
Mangione has been cast as a sympathetic figure by some, seen as someone fighting back against the system. A legal defense fund set up on GiveSendGo has already raised more than $128,000 as of Monday, with donors leaving messages of support.
President-elect Donald Trump was asked about the public praise for Mangione on Monday but did not comment extensively.
Meanwhile, tensions surrounding the incident have escalated. Wanted posters featuring other CEOs have appeared around New York City, and the socialist clothing company Comrade Workwear announced plans to create playing cards featuring “most wanted CEOs.”
Some Democrats view the killing as a stark warning about anger toward the healthcare system.
“What you have seen rising up is people’s anger at a health insurance industry that denies them the care they desperately need,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, during an appearance on Meet the Press.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, posted a video on X urging his colleagues to pay attention to the growing frustration.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, faced backlash for earlier comments to the Huffington Post, where she said, “Violence is never the answer, but people can be pushed only so far.” She later clarified to Politico, saying, “I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.”
Organizers of Mangione’s legal defense fund said they plan to contact his new attorney to ask how he wants the money to be used.
