--- title: "Trump Disgusted by Public’s Support for CEO Killer Suspect" description: "President-elect Donald Trump has finally spoken out about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson." date: "2024-12-17" modified: "2024-12-17" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-disgusted-support-ceo-killer" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "brian thompson" - "donald trump" - "the digest" - "unitedhealth care" --- # Trump Disgusted by Public’s Support for CEO Killer Suspect ![President-elect Donald Trump has finally spoken out about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.]() *\Image: Spencer Platt / Jeff Swensen via Getty / Futurism\* ## Not a Fan President-elect [Donald Trump has finally spoken out]() about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. During a [news conference]() this week — nearly two weeks after [Thompson was gunned down]() in the streets of Manhattan — Trump suggested that there's either something wrong with people valorizing Mangione — or something wrong with the media reporting on that public reaction. "How people can like this guy, is… that's a sickness, actually," Trump said of the 26-year-old alleged assassin, who has [been charged with murder as an act of terrorism]() by the Manhattan district attorney. "Maybe it's fake news, I don't know." "It's hard to believe that can even be thought of, but it seems that there's a certain appetite for him," the former and future president continued. "I don't get it." ## In Cold Blood During that same news conference, which was held at Mar-a-Lago alongside SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son to announce the [Japanese banker's $100 billion pledge]() to help build AI in the US, Trump also sounded off on the way Thompson was shot. "It was cold-blooded; just a cold-blooded, horrible killing," the president-elect said. "The way it was done, it was so bad, right in the back and very bad." There's little surprise that Trump, himself a CEO and the [subject of an attempted assassination]() earlier this year, would take this stance on the shooting, though the amount of time it took him to make the remarks feels telling. During that lengthy silence, [Trump welcomed another young killer]() — 25-year-old Marine veteran Daniel Penny— to his box during the Army-Navy football game. The stunt took place just a few days after [Penny was acquitted of negligent homicide]() in the death of Jordan Neely despite [being captured on video]() putting the 30-year-old man in a chokehold for three long minutes in a crowded subway car. It's striking that the president-elect would find it appropriate to [pal around with one New York killer]() while disparaging another — except, of course, when you consider [who died in those disparate encounters](). **More on Trump:** [*Elon Musk Gloats as Trump Announces Billionaires Will Be Exempt From Normal Environmental Rules*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()