Ted Cruz Accuses Luigi Mangione of Being a 'Leftist' Despite Social Media Posts Praising Tucker Carlson and Decrying the 'Woke Mind Virus'

Ted Cruz has sparked online debate by labeling Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as a "leftist," a claim that has been contradicted by Mangione's social media posts praising conservatives and decrying the "woke mind virus."

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested as a person of interest in last week's brazen killing of 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 that "leftist is a mental disease."

Leftism is a mental disease.

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
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 9, 2024

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. 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.