ABC’s Trevor Ault went soft on those who showed up to support alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione on Friday’s edition of World News Tonight. Instead of reacting in horror that such an alleged cold-blooded killer has such support, Ault portrayed his upcoming trial as a “cultural flashpoint.”
Ault began with some footage of Mangione’s supporters, “Tonight, this was the scene outside a New York City courthouse. A crowd of supporters, many angry at the health care system, hoping to catch a glimpse of accused killer Luigi Mangione.”
He further added, “Their chants heard all the way up on the 15th floor where supporters packed the hallway for Mangione's first court appearance in months. The case, a cultural flashpoint. The young suspect seeming to garner more sympathy than the man he's accused of murdering. Some Mangione supporters going so far as to put up billboards ‘Free Luigi, he's a hero.’ In court today, Mangione wearing a bulletproof vest surrounded by officers, sitting before the judge shackled at the ankle and handcuffed. His attorney arguing images like this will make it difficult for Mangione to get a fair trial."
While it is true that Mangione has a disturbingly high amount of support among young people, only 17 percent of Americans claim what he did was acceptable. By contrast, 21 percent of Americans admit to supporting Hamas.
Ideally, Ault would have portrayed the protestors as a group of fringe, crazy people. At a minimum, he could have done what NBC’s Stephanie Gosk did on Nightly News when she asked one of the demonstrators, “This is going to be a murder trial. Is that the right venue to make a larger point about health care?”
Here is a transcript for the February 21 show:
ABC World News Tonight
2/21/2025
6:33 PM ET
TREVOR AULT: Tonight, this was the scene outside a New York City courthouse. A crowd of supporters, many angry at the health care system, hoping to catch a glimpse of accused killer Luigi Mangione.
PROTESTORS: Stop denying, people are dying.
AULT: Their chants heard all the way up on the 15th floor where supporters packed the hallway for Mangione's first court appearance in months. The case, a cultural flashpoint. The young suspect seeming to garner more sympathy than the man he's accused of murdering. Some Mangione supporters going so far as to put up billboards "Free Luigi, he's a hero."
REPORTER: Luigi, what do you think of the support for you outside?
AULT: In court today, Mangione wearing a bulletproof vest surrounded by officers, sitting before the judge shackled at the ankle and handcuffed. His attorney arguing images like this will make it difficult for Mangione to get a fair trial.
