A podcaster and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump said he has been exchanging letters with Luigi Mangione.
Mangione is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
He has pleaded guilty and remains incarcerated as he awaits trial, which is set for October.
On the PBD Podcast, Patrick Bet-David said the letters were well-written.
"This was written as if a kid went to Harvard or Yale — good writer, sense of humor, sarcasm, witty, even a riddle in there," Bet-David said.
"You can tell he’s very intellectual, deep meaning in the way he’s writing his stuff," he said.
Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.
Bet-David’s book "Your Next Five Moves" was on Mangione’s published list of 27 things he was grateful for, along with other books including Ayn Rand’s "Anthem" and Ray Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451."
Mangione told Bet-David a lot of Gen-z girls were not happy with him for mentioning Bet-David’s book.
"You have a Gen-Z female problem," Mangione wrote to Bet-David.
Bet-David said he weighed whether to write to Mangione but said he wrote to him last weekend.
"This guy had back issues, he had certain health problems, his grandpa was a very successful businessman.
"This is not a regular kid, he is a valedictorian," Bet-David said.
"Could have been a net positive to society, working, building a business, creating jobs, maybe getting involved in politics, doing something positive for the world," Bet-David added.
"He had that brain to do it; he had the genetics to do it," he said.
The podcaster said he gave Mangione a list of six books he should read while jailed but not did not specify what the books were.
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind.
Police say the words "delay," "deny," and "depose" were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used by critics to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days after he was spotted eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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