Can Liberals differentiate between terrorism and advocacy in the case of Luigi Mangione?

The consequences of normalizing extremism among Progressives

Since the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by 26-year-old Luigi Mangione on December 4th, 2024, many have praised the perpetrators for taking action against corporate America. For many people on the left and right, the killing was justified because UnitedHealthcare and other mega health insurance companies have profited off the health of millions of Americans. As access to medical treatment becomes more expensive, the people at the top continue to see their margins increase. A recent poll from Emerson College Polling showed that of 1,000 registered voters surveyed, 41 percent of them between the ages of 18-29 believe Thompson's murder was acceptable. For context, 68% of voters reject the killer’s actions overall. Still, 41% is considerably high.

On Tuesday, December 17th, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Luigi Mangione for murder as an act of terrorism. Mangione faces 11 counts, including one of murder in the first degree and two of murder in the second degree in Thompson’s killing on December 4 in New York, along with other weapon and forgery charges, the indictment says.

Last week, I published an article on my Substack addressing this claim and arguing that Luigi Mangione did not meet the requirements for domestic terrorism. However, looking back at that article, I realized I made a novice mistake. In that piece, I used the Oxford Dictionary definition of terrorism, which is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. I went on to argue that because Luigi only murdered one person, it failed to reach the requirement of violence against civilians (implying more than one person needs to be killed in an ideological attack). Unfortunately for Luigi Mangione, the Oxford Dictionary definition of terrorism isn’t the legal definition recognized by the state of New York.

New York Penal Law § 490.25: Crime of Terrorism defines terrorism as any act that is committed with the intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion and that results in one or more of the following: (a) the commission of a specified offense, (b) the causing of a specified injury or death, (c) the causing of mass destruction or widespread contamination, or (d) the disruption of essential infrastructure.

Based on § 490.25, Luigi Mangione meets the legal definition of terrorism.

Let’s look at the facts: investigators at the crime scene found three 9 mm shell casings from the crime scene with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose,” indicating that he wanted a message to be sent. Mangione also stated that the killing of the CEO of UHC was symbolic. Lastly, in Luigi’s manifesto published by Ken Klippenstein, he writes:

“I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy? No the reality is, these [indecipherable] have simply gotten too powerful, and they continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allwed them to get away with it.”

It is evident that Luigi Mangione’s killing of Brian Thompson wasn’t because of any personal vendetta against the CEO but because his death represented an attack on the for-profit healthcare that has exploited millions of Americans. As Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware describe in their book Guns, God, and Sedition: Far Right Terrorism in America, terrorism is violence being communicated, and Luigi’s action was meant to communicate a message that Americans are tired of the failed healthcare system that continues to kill millions of Americans and send people to bankruptcy. Still, this message involved the blood and intimidation of a father of two, and regardless of where one stands on the issue of socialized healthcare, the fact is that deadly violence was the motivating factor in the way Luigi Mangione’s message was received.

Liberal’s understanding of terrorism

As I’ve stated in this article and my previous one, many on the left have celebrated the death of Brian Thompson primarily because of what he represented. It should come as no surprise that when the Manhattan Attorney announced that Luigi Mangione would be charged with terrorism that the internet called bullshit. One Thread user wrote:

One counterargument that I have come across to challenge the charge of terrorism against Luigi Mangione is that if he can be considered a terrorist, then so should Kyle Rittenhouse, who, in 2020, killed three people during a BLM protest. However, this is a misunderstanding of the word terrorism. Terrorism is an attack that is motivated by a political or social ideology. When Kyle Rittenhouse went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, it was, as he describes it, “to protect the neighborhood and local businesses.” One can argue whether Kyle Rittenhouse had any authority to play law enforcement and whether he willingly put himself in a position of danger. I would argue these points, but Rittenhouse did not go to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to communicate a social message using his gun. He was a naive kid who thought he could play superhero and was lucky enough not to be charged with the killing of three people. To call Kyle Rittenhouse a terrorist is to equate him to Payten Gendron, the New York Buffalo shooter, who was motivated by white supremacy and Great Replacement conspiracy theories, which are ideological by nature. This is why the Republican media can coddle Kyle Rittenhouse as a poster boy for American patriotism but can’t do it for Payten Gendron.

For Liberals and Progressives, denial of what Luigi Mangione did should be of concern. Agreeing and understanding have been conflated, and because of this, the left is inadvertently normalizing extremism, which the right has lost control of. While many in my camp see this as the beginning of a movement, I expect disappointments in the following weeks. It is unlikely that our healthcare system will change after the killing of the UHC CEO as policy changes take place in Congress. What is more likely to occur is that extremists from the far-right and far-left will see the media attention Luigi Mangione is receiving, his weapon of choice (a 3D-printed gun), and replicate similar attacks to obtain a feeling of purpose. The question then is, what will motivate the next terrorist? I don’t think any of us want to find out.