Luigi Mangione became a household name overnight after he was arrested and charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson following a five-day manhunt — and like the rest of the country, the hosts of “The View” are still trying to nail down a motive.
The reveal of the 26-year-old Ivy League grad’s identity took over a large portion of Tuesday’s episode, as the Internet continued to speculate over why someone like Mangione would allegedly resort to murdering a millionaire who made his fortune, in part, off of denying claims to those in need of medical services.
As moderator Whoopi Goldberg put it, “A lot of people seem to be surprised that this is the guy that did this.”
“I think it’s a reminder that criminals or people who do harm don’t fit into any one box. I think we’re so quick to stereotype people; you expect a certain socioeconomic level or a certain educational background,” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin replied. “To me, it symbolizes more likely there was some kind of a mental health break and that he may have acted in an extreme way because he wasn’t treating something that came on suddenly. That’s my speculation.”
However, co-host Sara Haines had a slightly more nuanced opinion. While she admitted America’s healthcare industry is essentially a “criminal racket,” she also questioned why the alleged assassin’s actions were so well-received by so many of her fellow citizens.
“I think that there is a shock in finding out who it is, just because this man could have changed things in this world. He had every privilege that could be given to someone ever — he came from a wealthy family, highly educated, valedictorian of his class — all the things were there,” she said. “He’s a very smart person, and yet this is the option he chose, rather than going into a system and truly changing the ills and problems.”
“I think there’s so many massive problems with the insurance companies, that is clear and we all know it. It is almost like a criminal racket. This is never the answer to that,” Haines continued. “You have to reflect on yourself if you at any point were gleeful about this because it is so disturbing to see the residual effect of how many people applauded this person, as if this is how we live in this country or in this world, it is unacceptable.”
Fellow co-host Sunny Hostin pointed out that there is no concrete motive behind Thompson’s murder just yet, though she did echo a talking point making rounds on social media regarding Mangione’s reported back problems (as seen in an x-ray featured on his apparent Twitter page banner).
“It’s all speculation now as to why someone so young, so promising, would do something like this,” she said. “There’s some indication that he was also suffering from chronic back pain, severe chronic back pain.”
Naturally, co-host Joy Behar made a joke of the moment, dismissively asking: “Oh, who hasn’t? Everyone has back pain!” But ultimately, Hostin ended things on a neutral note, reiterating, “We’re not sure why this happened.”
Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, at a McDonald’s on Monday after the Wednesday morning shooting outside of the New York Hilton Midtown. He has been charged with second-degree murder, forgery and three counts of illegal weapons possession and was denied bail.
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
