Calculated Rhetoric on the Way Into Court: Luigi Mangione’s Outburst and His Successful Deployment of the Us vs. Them Narrative

By Michael Kelman Portney

Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has already started crafting his defense—not in the courtroom, but in the court of public opinion. His outburst on his way into his extradition hearing was aimed toward the American people. He saw the cameras and began to perform, reportedly shouting "It is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and it's lived experience!" This wasn’t just a moment of raw emotion. It was a calculated act of rhetoric designed to weaponize public sentiment, draw ideological battle lines, and create an “Us vs. Them” narrative that could influence his case, his image, and perhaps even the broader cultural zeitgeist.

Let’s break this down. Luigi Mangione isn’t merely playing the role of a suspect in a murder trial; he’s positioning himself as a tragic hero caught in the gears of an unjust, faceless system. By targeting a broad and abstract group, Mangione creates a shadowy antagonist—one that conveniently cannot speak back. It’s a tactic as old as time, employed by everyone from populist politicians to cult leaders: manufacture a villain, and then cast yourself as the lone voice of reason against them.

“It’s an insult to intelligence the American People!” Wait, that’s us! We’re the American people. Who is insulting our intelligence? He’s saying insurance companies with their unethical practices. He goes on to say “It’s lived experience!” This is the real hear of the message. He’s not invoking his lived experience: He’s invoking the lived experiences of all Americans who have had to suffer in an unjust healthcare system. These two short sentences are both perfectly effective examples of Aristotle’s Rhetoric; they cram credibility, emotion, and logic (ethos, pathos, and logos) into short memorable soundbites, making them as effective at achieving his end goals as anything else he could have said. We all know about his Ivy League education, but it bears repeating: This is a very smart guy.

This isn’t Mangione’s first rodeo with rhetorical manipulation, though it might be his most brazen. The “Us vs. Them” trope works precisely because it activates primal instincts of tribalism and fear. He’s tapping into an existing cultural fracture—America’s own internal divisions—to redirect attention from his alleged crime to a more nebulous, ideological battle.

To understand why this might resonate, consider the broader societal context. Many Americans already feel disillusioned with corporate greed, systemic corruption, and institutional failure. The murder of a healthcare CEO—a figurehead of a system many blame for skyrocketing medical costs and inequities—creates fertile ground for Mangione’s narrative to take root. Even if Mangione’s crime is heinous, his rhetorical framing allows him to hijack a very real undercurrent of frustration and mistrust within society.

This strategy, however, isn’t just about creating empathy or sowing division. It’s about control. Mangione knows that public sentiment can bleed into the judicial process. Jurors don’t live in a vacuum; they live in a world where social media buzz and headline news can color their perceptions. If Mangione can position himself as a symbol of rebellion—or worse, as a martyr—he might find a sliver of leniency in a jury pool disillusioned with the system.

The “Us vs. Them” narrative has real-world consequences. It deepens societal divides, radicalizes individuals, and erodes trust in institutions. By leveraging this tactic, Mangione isn’t just defending himself—he’s exploiting America’s fractured psyche in an effort to be the change he wishes to see.

The question we should be asking isn’t whether Mangione is guilty; that’s for the courts to decide. The question is why his narrative feels so potent. The answer lies in our own collective disillusionment. If we, as a society, were more United, more trusting, and less jaded, Mangione’s rhetorical gambit wouldn’t stand a chance. But in a nation already brimming with tension, his outburst becomes not just a spectacle, but a potent message and clarion call.

Michael Kelman Portney

Provocateur. Satirist. Advocate for uncomfortable truths.