Ted Cruz has sparked online debate by labeling Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO, as a "leftist," a claim that has been contradicted by Mangione's social media posts praising conservative and decrying the "woke mind virus."
Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested as a person of interest in the killing of Brian Thompson. After his arrest, a wave of online support painted him as a sort of hero, while critics speculated about his political alignment.
Senator Cruz reignited the controversy by tweeting that Mangione's actions are evidence of "leftist mental disease."
Leftism is a mental disease.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 9, 2024
The suspected murderer, an Ivy League graduate, "subscribed to anti-capitalist and climate-change causes, according to law-enforcement."
And the murderer has been widely celebrated by leftists online.
Tragic & sick. https://t.co/3VlmRqnbB3
Cruz cited law enforcement reports suggesting Mangione supported anti-capitalist and climate-change causes. However, journalists and social media users quickly pushed back, highlighting Mangione's documented admiration for right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson.
Person of Interest in the UHC CEO killing Luigi Mangione is being painted as left-wing by the New York Post but his X account shows someone whose thinking is shaped by the Online Right pic.twitter.com/qxBznzWOCo
— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) December 9, 2024
Mangione's tweets include detailed defenses of Carlson's critique of modern architecture, where he agreed that it "kills the spirit" but argued that such phenomena are emergent rather than intentionally designed, drawing parallels to systemic issues like inflation.
These posts challenge the simplistic narrative of Mangione as aligned with traditional leftist ideologies.
Critics of Cruz have accused him of weaponizing the incident for political points, while others argue that Mangione's beliefs represent a hybrid of ideologies.
Meanwhile, Mangione's trial is expected to probe deeper into his motivations.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
