Donald Trump said people who “admire” Luigi Mangione have a “disease” and that the internet has many, many thoughts

During a press conference today at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

After being asked for his opinion on the reaction surrounding Thompson’s death – which has overwhelmingly sparked a larger conversation about problems within the US health care and health insurance system – Trump told reporters: “I think it’s terrible. I think it’s a terrible thing.”

Then, seemingly alluding to the fact that some members of the public were thirsting for or justifying suspect Luigi Mangione’s alleged actions, Trump added: “I think it’s really terrible that some people seem to admire him like he does.”

“That was a terrible thing. It was cold-blooded. Just a cold-blooded, terrible murder.”

“And how people can like this guy is actually a disease,” he said.

The exchange was captured in a clip that has since been shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), where it received a wide range of reactions.

Some can’t help but agree that people shouldn’t “admire” a suspected murderer.

Twitter: @KarmaIsAFad

But others changed their minds and said they couldn’t understand how some people admire Trump despite his actions.

Twitter: @arianaunext

“Mr. +30 criminal here has something to say,” one person tweeted, appearing to wonder how Trump himself can be considered admirable despite being found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business documents in his now infamous hush money trial.

Twitter: @eyeamwema

Meanwhile, some pointed out what they said was hypocrisy in Trump’s views when he and Vice President-elect JD Vance recently hosted Daniel Penny in their presidential suite during Saturday’s Army-Navy football game.

As a reminder, Penny is a former Marine acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2023 death of Subway actor Jordan Neely. At that time, Penny held Neely in a chokehold for about six minutes after Neely – who was unarmed – got into a train car, threw his jacket on the floor and allegedly said he was hungry and thirsty and wanted to go back to prison.

According to some passengers, Neely did not approach anyone in the car. However, one said he made “lunge moves,” NBC reported.

In a video of the incident, a passerby can be heard shouting: “He’s dying… Let him go!”

According to Penny, he told investigators that he was trying to “de-escalate the situation.”

“Wasn’t he just at a football game with the white guy who killed that black guy on the subway??? So it’s a disease if the victim is white???” One person tweeted about Trump and Penny.

Twitter: @AlexFenty29

Similarly, another wrote, “But he loves himself, like Kyle Rittenhouse.”

Rittenhouse faces two civil lawsuits following an incident in 2020 when he traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse, who came armed, fatally shot two men and wounded a third. He pleaded self-defense and was ultimately acquitted of the charge. The civil suits are still pending, including a wrongful death lawsuit.

Trump called Rittenhouse a “nice young man.”

Twitter: @playboykylie

What do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comments.