Journalist Taylor Lorenz recently clarified her perspective on the supporters of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, emphasizing she wasn’t defending him but rather aiming to understand the motivations behind their actions.
During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Lorenz sought to contextualize her previous remarks regarding Mangione and the grievances held by some Americans towards the current healthcare system. She stated, “What I’m describing is the mentality of those individuals who demonstrate outside his court appearances and jail cell – these are not my beliefs.”
Who is Luigi Mangione? The suspect in Thompson’s murder has garnered a surprising level of support, as previously noted by Lorenz to CNN. She described him as perceived by some to be “a revolutionary, handsome, young, and intelligent figure—someone embodying moral goodness, which can be difficult to find.”
Brian Thompson, the victim, was a 50-year-old father of two who had worked at UnitedHealthcare for nearly four years prior to his fatal shooting in midtown Manhattan.
Hannity challenged Lorenz with a direct question: “Do you agree that anyone praising Mangione lacks a soul, conscience, and heart?”
Lorenz responded by affirming her commitment to free speech. “I believe in free speech. I don’t subscribe to concepts like ‘souls’ or those sorts of things.” She continued, “If you can’t feel sympathy for a deceased father and husband, do you lack a conscience, a soul and a heart? That’s a simple question.”
Lorenz pivoted the discussion toward the failings within the U.S. healthcare system, highlighting that an estimated 70,000 Americans die annually due to inadequate health insurance coverage. She argued, “To talk about the assassination of innocent people? I believe the tens of thousands of Americans who die each year because of a lack of health insurance—that is, to me, a violence in itself; it’s an assassination.”
Despite Hannity’s repeated questioning regarding her stance on Mangione’s supporters, Lorenz maintained that their actions were protected by free speech and rooted in concerns about the healthcare system. “They are exercising their right to speak about the fact that over 320,000 people died from a lack of health insurance during the first two years of the pandemic alone.”
She concluded, “There are major issues we need to acknowledge if we ever want to fix our system. We have a violent healthcare system, and it needs reform. That’s what we should be focusing on.”
Legal Proceedings: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that federal prosecutors will pursue the death penalty for Mangione.
- Charges include:
- Using a firearm to commit murder
- Interstate stalking resulting in death
- Stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death
- Discharging a firearm equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Mangione’s case has ignited debate over the intersection of individual rights, healthcare access, and the consequences of violent acts.
