Tech billionaire Peter Thiel stunned viewers when he gave a rambling, stuttering answer to a question about the public's reaction to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was taken into custody on firearms charges at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday afternoon, five days after he allegedly shot Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel.
The public reaction showed a shocking level of sympathy for Mangione and anger toward Thompson and the health care industry, particularly leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The 57-year-old PayPal co-founder appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Thursday and was asked what he thought of those who are angry at people like Thompson because they believe the American healthcare system is unfair.
He appeared sweaty and stammered as he answered, “Um… it's… uh… I don't know what to say.”
Thiel finally said, “I still think you should try to make an argument, and I think that's… There may be something wrong with our health care system, but you have to make an argument and try to make one Find a way to convince people and thereby change it.
“That won't work.” I don't know. “All kinds of things could be said about it, but I don't think the motivations feel… I don't want to go into all the details here, but I don't think there's anything heroic about it,” he added.
The reaction to the billionaire's online response was brutal, with one person – who called Thiel the “Antichrist” – calling it the worst response anyone could possibly give.
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel stunned viewers when he gave a rambling, stuttering answer to a question about the public's reaction to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
“If anyone can come up with a worse answer to a question, I'd like to see it. 'This is unbearable.'
“This is AMAZING. “There are toddlers who are better at stringing sentences together,” wrote another.
Someone else commented: “People who don't have billions think having billions makes you smart or insightful. That's not the case.”
Others pointed out his clearly distressed face in the video, with one asking: “Why is he sweating so much?”
“Peter stuttered for three minutes, frozen, but couldn't say, 'Murder is wrong.' They need to fix that in CEO school.”
Previously, Thiel was able to comment more harshly on Mangione's killing of Thompson.
“I don't think you should ever glorify murder and, man, it probably just tells us more about how crazy some of these people are that say things like that… I don't think it tells us much about this case, but “It's like that tells us we're in a really crazy society.”
Earlier today, “Squad” Democrat Ocasio-Cortez reflected much of the left’s reaction to the killing.
The reaction to the billionaire's online response was brutal, with one person – who called Thiel the “Antichrist” – calling it the worst response anyone could possibly give. Others pointed out his clearly distressed face in the video, with one asking: “Why is he sweating so much?”
The New York Democrat argued that Americans “perceive and experience denied claims as an act of violence against them” as she spoke to CBS News about the reaction – and sometimes praise – for accused assassin Luigi Mangione.
“I think that this collective American experience that is so twisted in the richest nation in the world, all the pain that people have experienced is focused on that,” she told Jaala Brown on the steps of Congress.
“And it’s really important that we take a step back.”
“This is not intended to be a comment, nor am I suggesting that an act of violence is justified, but I think anyone who is confused, shocked or horrified needs to understand that people interpret, feel and experience rejected claims” as one Act of violence against her.
“People become homeless because a diagnosis that goes untreated is financially devastating or because they have to pay off the amount with a surprise bill and things like that.”
“When we talk in a passive way about how violent the systems are in this country, our privatized health care system is like that for a large number of Americans,” Ocasio-Cortez continued, noting that she didn’t even have health insurance until she was in elected the Congress.
Her comments came as Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was forced to walk back her comments about the shooting.
These reactions come as the twists and turns that led to Mangione's arrest continue to stun the nation.
Luigi Mangione, 26, was taken into custody on firearms charges at a fast-food joint in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday afternoon, five days after he allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson, 50, outside a Manhattan hotel
Crimestoppers shows a surveillance video image of the shooting suspect approaching the UnitedHealthcare CEO from behind and shooting him
Police in San Francisco apparently recognized Mangione as the accused murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson just days before his arrest in Pennsylvania.
An officer with the police Special Victims Unit combed through surveillance images of the suspected killer released by the New York Police Department and recognized him as Mangione on Dec. 5, just a day after the shooting, police sources told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The officer had been investigating Mangione's disappearance since his mother, Kathleen, reported him missing in mid-November.
She claimed she hadn't spoken to her son since July 1 and noted that he worked for TrueCar, an online automotive marketplace based in San Francisco – apparently unaware that he had been laid off in 2023.
After recognizing the suspect, he reportedly called the FBI and gave the office Mangione's name – although law enforcement officials later said the 26-year-old was not on their radar until his arrest in Pennsylvania on Monday.
He was taken into custody that day on firearms violations after grabbing a bite to eat at a McDonald's in Altoona, where a customer also recognized him.
Mangione allegedly had a 3D-printed pistol and a black silencer loaded with a Glock magazine consisting of six 9mm full metal jacket bullets, which the NYPD said matched those of bullets found at the scene of Thompson's murder became.
The suspect also reportedly had a manifesto outlining his grievances against UnitedHealthcare after suffering a serious back injury that required painful spinal surgery.
Mangione appeared in court Tuesday to face gun charges in Pennsylvania, where he had a violent public meltdown hours earlier.
The suspect, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit, had to be restrained as he shouted at police as he made his way to court.
His attorney, Thomas Dickey, has since claimed that Mangione was just “upset” that he didn't have legal representation at the time.
Dickey has also said his client will plead not guilty to murder charges in New York and firearms charges in Pennsylvania – as he continues to fight extradition to the Big Apple.
