As Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court to stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the reaction to his attack remains unsettling. When it comes to political violence, one relatively consistent pattern is that the political movement that shares the ideology of the perpetrator will attempt to distance itself from the attacker.

Partisan media will emphasize or downplay the act in question, depending on whether the ideological configuration of the victim and assailant fits their preferred narrative. Although this is a clear example of partisan bias, it does reinforce an important norm in American politics: Political violence is unacceptable. From a strategic perspective, aligning with violent extremism is counterproductive.