President-elect Donald Trump harshly criticized people showing sympathy to Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, calling the sentiment a "sickness."
Speaking to media in his Mar-a-Lago residence, Trump described the episode as "terrible" and said it's "really terrible that some people seem to admire him, like him." I was happy to see that it wasn't specific to this gentleman that was killed. It's just an overall sickness to a specific sickness. It was a terrible thing, a cold blooded horrible thing. How people can like this guy... that's a sickness actually. The way it was done was so bad," he added.
Trump eviscerates those who are idolizing UnitedHealth CEO assassin Luigi Mangione:
— Will (@WillsWill1776) December 16, 2024
"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/YFCG6vEbfF
The statement comes after a crowdfunding effort for Mangione has already raised over $130,000 for his legal fees. Supporters of Mangione, currently imprisoned in Pennsylvania, have raised the sum through GiveSendGo, a platform that has not taken down such efforts.
While the GiveSendGo page dedicated to Mangione seemed to have been taken down briefly, it was quickly restored on Thursday, with a spokesperson telling ABC News that the company "operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence."
"Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes. Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process," the GiveSendGo spokesperson said in a statement.
GoFundMe, in turn, did remove funds created on behalf of Mangione, citing reasons listed within the website's Terms of Service as justification.
"GoFundMe's Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes," the crowdfunding website said in a statement. "The fundraisers have been removed from our platform and all donors have been refunded."
A public profile who did not show much compassion for Thompson was comedian Chris Rock, who discussed the episode during the opening monologue of SNL, which he hosted last Saturday.
While the comedian offered his condolences for Thompson's family, he brought up how the situation reminded him of crime dramas such as "The Wire."
"[The suspect] actually killed a man, a man with a family. I have real condolences for the heath care CEO. I mean this is a real person. But you know, you also gotta go, sometimes, drug dealers get shot," Rock said on SNL.
Rock also addressed the internet's obsession with Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of shooting and killing CEO Brian Thompson. Following his arrest, photos of Mangione flooded the internet, leaving many swooning over his appearance.
"Everybody's fixated on how good-looking this guy looks," Rock said on the show. "If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care. They'd have given him the chair already. He'd be dead."
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