Chris Cuomo Torches CEO Killer’s ‘Growing Fanbase’: ‘Lingering Threat That We Need to Wake Up to’
NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo railed against the “growing fanbase” on social media for Luigi Mangione, the man arrested by police following the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York last week.
Cuomo spent a good portion of his show on Monday covering the arrest of Mangione — even bringing in two former friends of the suspected killer — but he refused to use Mangione’s name, arguing that saying his name only amplified the concerning celebrations of him on social media.
“The man who murdered the CEO has been caught, but there is a lingering threat that we need to wake up to now,” Cuomo said at the top of his show. “On paper, the story here is that this 26-year-old murderer looks like the ideal. Valedictorian, Ivy League friendly, ambitious, curious, even known to be kind. Many are wondering what his mental illness is, when it happened, and how did the family not know or did they know? I don’t know that there’s any mental health issue to blame here. You do not have to be sick to fall prey to bad ideas and be a bad person. Please believe me when I tell you the man who did this is not as scary as those celebrating what he did.”
Last week, Cuomo ripped into “people who call themselves journalists” like Taylor Lorenz for celebrating Thompson’s death. On Monday, he showed more X posts from Mangione’s “growing fanbase,” noting that many were calling for him to be set free.
The NewsNation host did not hold back on criticizing the health insurance industry itself, noting he’s had his own trouble trying to get his insurance backer to cover a surgery. Mangione had complications from a back recent back surgery, when he was arrested, he had a manifesto railing against health insurance companies on his person.
“Even the great disruptor keeps the insurers names out of his mouth. That’s how much juice they have,” Cuomo said, referring to President-elect Donald Trump.
The issue, Cuomo stressed, is not about left or right, but “magnified minorities” emboldened by social media.
“What is going on here is not about left right. It’s about no longer being reasonable about solutions, a rejection of norms and systems that are now seen as the problem,” he said. “And anything you have to do to make a change is fine. And what is seen as an acceptable remedy is coming home to roost.”
The actions of insurance companies, Cuomo continued, does not excuse murder.
“Even the shooter apologized for the pain he caused. But they all agree that it was necessary,” he said. “You know who else says that? Islamists and every other group of terrorists that think violence is okay.”
Watch above via NewsNation.
