In the week since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was slain, the man who allegedly killed him — Luigi Mangione — has become an overnight celebrity.
Mangione evaded police for days following the attack but was apprehended early this week after a person recognized him dining at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s. He’s now in police custody and facing charges for Thompson’s killing, but that’s not enough to convince the people of America that he deserves to be behind bars.
It’s not even necessarily that we think he’s innocent. While there’s certainly still an argument to be made for his innocence — one that will inevitably be made in court — most people are dead-set on the idea that Mangione really did kill Thompson. They just don’t care.
A huge swathe of the American public is in full support of Mangione’s alleged action, and the three words etched into the bullets that took Thompson’s life — “deny, defend, depose” — have become a rallying cry among the fed-up U.S. public. As a result of all that state-side support, Mangione’s legal fund is already getting an injection of donations from supportive citizens intent to see the supposed shooter walk free. A campaign seeking to raise money for Mangione appeared soon after he was apprehended by police, and quickly began racking up donations.
Those who are against the support Mangione has received are pushing back against the fund and working overtime to smear the 26-year-old’s currently shining reputation, but it’s doing little to dissuade donors. People are flooding the GiveSendGo campaign with well-wishes and fresh donations, reaching $47,570 of its $200,000 goal in just a few days.
Many of those offering donations are doing so anonymously, but others are more than willing to attach their names to their contributions. The messages accompanying many of the donations shine a harsh light on the simmering resentment prompting the massive support of Mangione, as people express how deeply the U.S. healthcare system has failed us all.
People aren’t donating exclusively small sums, either. Some are donating more than $1,000 at a time, many of whom express heartfelt support for a change — even one prompted by violence — in our healthcare system. One person, who donated a full $1,300, said it was “coincidentally the same amount I was charged for my 100% covered medical procedure.”
Others outright thanked Mangione for his actions, praising him for “standing up to the evil oligarchs and plutocrats who control our country.” Many are donating in the memory of those lost thanks to the actions of people like Thompson, sending a stirring message about the state of our national healthcare, and the lost patience of the public at large.