President Donald Trump expressed his dismay over the reactions surrounding the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, specifically condemning those who appear to admire the alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday morning, Trump labeled the killing as “cold-blooded” and criticized the glorification of the suspect by some individuals.
“I think it’s terrible… I think it’s really terrible that some people seem to admire him, like him,” Trump stated. “Just a cold-blooded, horrible killing. And how people can like this guy—that’s a sickness, actually. That’s really very bad.”
Trump SLAMS people idolizing UnitedHealth CEO assassin Luigi Mangione: “I think it’s a terrible thing. It’s really terrible some people seem to admire him… How people can like this guy is a sickness.”pic.twitter.com/HwncTidgQ9
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) December 16, 2024
The president also emphasized the heinous nature of the crime. “Especially the way it was done—it was so bad, right in the back. A thing like that, you just can’t believe some people. And maybe it’s fake news, I don’t know; it’s hard to believe that can even be thought of,” Trump remarked. “But it seems there’s a certain appetite for [the gunman]. I don’t get it.”
Thompson was shot and killed in early December outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan in what authorities have described as a targeted attack. The suspect, Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old former Ivy League student, was apprehended days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being spotted in a McDonald’s restaurant.
Mangione faces charges of murder and has become the subject of both condemnation and, alarmingly, a degree of admiration in certain circles—a trend Trump directly addressed in his remarks.
Trump used the opportunity to highlight what he sees as a broader societal issue. “I was happy to see that it wasn’t specific to this gentleman that was killed; it’s just an overall sickness as opposed to a specific sickness,” he said.
He also referred to the attack as emblematic of a troubling appetite for violence or admiration for violent figures. “That was a terrible thing, it was cold-blooded. Just a cold-blooded, horrible killing,” Trump reiterated.
The press conference comes just a little over a month before Trump’s inauguration and follows a tumultuous campaign season in which the president himself survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania. These experiences may have informed his condemnation of those who glorify acts of violence.
The shooting has drawn widespread attention, not only for the high-profile nature of the victim but also for the unsettling public response from some individuals. Trump’s remarks underscore the need for collective introspection on how society reacts to such incidents.
As investigations into the murder continue, Trump’s comments serve as a reminder of the importance of condemning violence in all forms and rejecting any narrative that glorifies those who commit such heinous acts.
