41% Of Young Americans Think Accused CEO-Shooter Luigi Mangione’s Actions Were Justified, New Poll Finds

On Tuesday, Emerson College in Boston released a poll that found four in ten young people believe that Luigi Mangione’s murder of former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was well-justified.

Mangione, 26, was indicted on Dec. 17 on charges of murder as an act of terrorism when he fatally shot Thompson on Dec. 4 in Midtown, New York City. A grand jury slapped him with first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder charges. 

In the poll conducted last week with over 1,000 voters, Emerson College found that 41% of those surveyed, people between the ages of 18 and 29, classified Mangione’s actions as “somewhat” to “completely” acceptable. Across all age groups, 68% of Americans think Mangione’s actions were out of line.

Since Thompson’s death – and the revelation that Mangione came from a wealthy family – the UPenn graduate has inspired an huge amount of public support for his actions, with celebrations, parties, and Mangione-look-alike contests held in his honor. The popular crowdfunding platform GoFundMe had to officially remove all campaigns in support of Mangione and refund its donors, with a representative stating, “GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes.”

However, another fundraising platform, GiveSendGo, which was established in 2015, has hosted a legal defense campaign for Mangione, which has raised over $75,000 as of Friday morning.

GiveSendGo’s communications director Alex Shipley shared in a statement concerning the decision, “We believe every person is entitled to due process in a court of law – not in the court of public opinion…to be absolutely clear, we do not support or condone vigilante justice. However, people have a constitutional right to a strong legal defense, and access to that defense should not be reserved only for the wealthy or those who fit a particular narrative. Our role is to give individuals and their communities the opportunity to fundraise for that defense, because true justice is served when everyone has equal access to fair trial – regardless of the verdict.”

A Christian crowdfunding platform, GiveSendGo is known to host a variety of controversial campaigns, more typically in support of far-right perpetrators, such as Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense, or those being prosecuted for their participation in the January 6 riot at the capitol. GiveSendGo’s CEO, Jacob Wells, claims that their support of Mangione’s campaign proves that the platform does not support either side of the political spectrum.

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