AT A GLANCE
- Leaked text messages from young Republican leaders included racist remarks about Black people, Latinos, Jews, and Asians.
- The messages were exposed in a Politico investigation linking participants to MAGA figures like Roger Stone.
- Several officials lost their jobs, including Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s communications aide.
- Black leaders and civil rights groups say the texts reflect a broader culture of racism emboldened by Donald Trump’s movement.
Leaked Messages Expose Racist Rhetoric Among Young Republicans
A Politico investigation uncovered thousands of private Telegram messages exchanged among Young Republican leaders across several states. The texts included slurs against Black, Latino, Jewish, and Asian people, praise for Hitler, and crude jokes about rape and slavery.
Participants included state officers like Peter Giunta, William Hendrix, Bobby Walker, Luke Mosiman, and Joseph Maligno—many of whom held or sought Republican endorsements from prominent MAGA figures, including Roger Stone.
After the leak, multiple members resigned or were fired. Hendrix was dismissed from Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office, while Giunta and Walker issued public apologies. Vermont state Sen. Sam Douglass is also facing bipartisan calls to step down.
“The deeply offensive and hateful comments reportedly made in a private chat among members of the New York State Young Republicans are disgusting,” said Rep. Mike Lawler’s spokesperson. “They should resign immediately and reflect on how far they’ve strayed from basic human decency.”
JD Vance Calls Racist Texts “Stupid Jokes” by “Kids”
Vice President JD Vance has drawn outrage for brushing off the scandal, telling The Charlie Kirk Show that the messages were just “edgy, offensive jokes” made by “young boys.”
“The reality is that kids do stupid things,” Vance said. “I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives.”
The problem? The “kids” Vance defended are all adults, ranging from 24 to 35, according to Mother Jones public records analysis.
Vance doubled down, accusing Democrats and the media of hypocrisy for focusing on “what a bunch of kids say in a group chat” instead of offensive remarks once made by a Democratic candidate in Virginia. “Grow up,” Vance said, insisting critics were ignoring “the real issues.”
Civil Rights Leaders Slam “Rot from the Top”
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Trump, Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson must “publicly condemn these words and behavior” if they want to be taken seriously about equality.
“This is about a culture where racism, antisemitism, sexual abuse, and violence are punchlines,” Johnson said. “Anyone who excuses this is complicit in normalizing cruelty.”
Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Yvette D. Clarke echoed that sentiment: “The climate unleashed since Donald Trump came onto the scene has fostered vile, hate-fueled rhetoric—and it’s infected his party’s future.”
She noted that Trump’s attacks on DEI, redistricting efforts targeting Black and brown voters, and censorship of racial history all reflect the same ideology seen in the group chat.
Republicans Split on Condemnation
While Vance and Trump’s camp dismissed the scandal as media overreach, other Republicans—including New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer—condemned the texts as “revolting” and “disgraceful.”
The Young Republican National Federation urged all participants to resign, calling their conduct “unbecoming of any Republican.”
Even GOP leaders in Kansas and New York distanced themselves from the offenders, emphasizing that such behavior “does not reflect the values” of their parties.
Democrats Say Excuses Mirror Trump’s Culture of Hate
DNC senior spokesperson Marcus W. Robinson said the vice president’s defense shows “the rot starts at the top.”
“Unfortunately, this kind of racist, hateful rhetoric has become all too common under Donald Trump,” Robinson said. “This isn’t about jokes—it’s about mainstreaming cruelty and dragging our nation backward.”
Rep. Clarke put it more bluntly: “When we say white supremacy is thriving on the right, they call us reactionary. Today’s news isn’t news—we just finally have it in writing.”
