Holding Space for the Hot Assassin

and your rage too.

My team (I don’t have one, but saying this feels essential for gravitas) has advised me not to write about the hot assassin. But honestly, at this point, it feels weird not to talk about him with you—so here’s my attempt at addressing this bizarre and deeply American saga without getting sued, cancelled, or, with my luck this year, both.

His name is Luigi Mangione. He’s 26, absurdly attractive, and already has a substantial online cult following. He’s also accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what many see as a vigilante act against a system that profits by denying people health insurance. Instead of spending the next 900 words explaining that both murder and making a profit by denying healthcare are wrong, I want to focus on a particularly chilling aspect of this story—one that has received far less attention than his abs (which, yes, are unspeakably shredded): how America’s extreme partisanship is so broken that even Mangione—someone who doesn’t fit neatly into any ideological box—is being turned into a partisan cause.

Let’s take a look at how Fox News is spinning this. On her show, Laura Ingraham drew a gobsmacking contrast between two alleged vigilante killers. Mangione was condemned as an example of “sickness” for the public support he’s received online. Meanwhile, Daniel Penny, who just got acquitted after killing Jordan Neely, a Black homeless man, by putting him in a fatal chokehold, was praised as a hero for “protecting others.” The message was clear: vigilantism is acceptable—so long as the victim fits the partisan narrative.

In a rational world, both of these deaths would be unequivocally condemned. But in partisan America, everything—including murder—becomes a litmus test for which side you’re on.

And yet, Mangione doesn’t fit into the binary narrative America insists on. To the chagrin of many extremely-online leftists, the hot assassin’s social media footprint revealed that he wasn’t one of them. In fact, his views suggested something even more divisive than murder: he was a moderate.

He followed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez but also RFK Jr. He hated capitalism but admired Elon Musk. He opposed the criminalization of poverty but was skeptical of DEI initiatives. His feed hit all the usual notes of frustration: railing against “wokeism,” criticizing societal shifts, and bemoaning the decline of traditional values. In short, Mangione represents a growing group of Americans who don’t fit into neat partisan boxes but are united by one thing: anger at a system that is deeply broken.

Even though Ted Cruz labeled him a “leftist” with a “mental disease,” there’s a real possibility that before going on a horrible murderous rampage, this was just an average guy who hated both parties. And that he hated the fact that America got 3D-printed pizza before it got universal healthcare. The fact that his motivations weren’t political might be the scariest discovery yet for a nation so addicted to partisanship it can’t comprehend why someone might lash out at the system itself.

Even Mangione’s supporters don’t fit into partisan molds. While Fox News and Ted Cruz are determined to paint everyone posting thirst traps as almond milk-drinking, electric car-driving lefties, the reality is more complicated. Yes many progressives are raving about him on Tik Tok, but many on the right are doing it too. Just look at the comments under Ben Shapiro’s post expressing outrage about the CEO slaying (not that kind of slaying). Among his followers, many expressed frustration at his refusal to condemn the predatory practices of healthcare companies. It’s almost like the hatred for the healthcare industry seemed to unite Americans…

So maybe everyone hasn’t gone mad, despite what right-wing influencers would like you to believe. Maybe people aren’t frothing at the mouth over murder—they’re just relieved to finally have an outlet for their indignation. In a year as divisive as this one, there’s a grim, collective acknowledgment that whether you’re working class or middle class, it all just sucks right now. Sure, pundits had plenty to say about $12 eggs—eggs they could easily afford—but maybe people also wanted to hear them express the same outrage about how expensive it’s become to simply stay alive. Ironically, that outrage is now erupting, as thousands share dystopian stories of loved ones dying while waiting for an insurance company’s callback—only to finally qualify for a procedure that came too late. These frustrations aren’t new.

Instead of clutching pearls over people celebrating an assassin, maybe we should ask where the anger fueling their comments is coming from. For the past decade, the media has bent over backward in diners trying to empathize with Trump supporters’ rage—so why isn’t there the same curiosity about the frustrations of those who feel lukewarm about condemning Mangione? People famously claimed they’d still vote for Donald Trump if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue. Why aren’t we asking what’s driving Mangione’s defenders to feel just as disillusioned with that same system?

Also please enjoy this throwback of me asking Trump supporters this very question back in 2016. The ending has a fun surprise!

This year has felt like one long medical episode. From Joe Biden almost dying during the debate, to Donald Trump almost dying during the election, and then all of us dying inside on November 5th. So, yes, the crash-out is valid. People are fed up. And they have every right to be. So my message to the media, is instead of being furious, why not be a little bit curious?

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