October 16, 2025

Hold on tight because a storm is raging in the political youth world! On October 15, 2025, shocking leaked chats burst out, showing Young Republican leaders exchanging over 28,000 messages filled with racist, sexist, antisemitic, and downright violent language. And yes, they even praised Hitler! Politico revealed these talks happened on Telegram over seven months. The Young Republican National Federation took a strong stand on X (formerly Twitter), saying it was "appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed." They added that "Such behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents." They demanded immediate resignations: "Those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect, and professionalism." One big fallout was the Kansas Young Republicans getting disbanded by the state GOP, after racist slurs about Black people and homophobic language were linked to two members. Over in New York, Assembly member Mike Reilly fired Peter Giunta as his chief of staff after Politico reported Giunta posted offensive messages including "I love Hitler" and the chilling phrase, "everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber," when he led the New York State Young Republicans. Vermont Governor Phil Scott joined the outrage, calling for State Senator Samuel Douglass’s resignation after his name popped up in the chats. And the chats? They were a nightmare cocktail of hateful jokes about enslavement, attacking Jews, women, Black people, and minorities—plus talks of raping enemies and forcing them to suicide, shocking Politico readers. These messengers came from multiple states – Arizona, New York, Kansas, and Vermont. The disgusting details got worse. Giunta reportedly replied to a comment about dating an "obese Indian woman" by cruelly saying she "was not Indian." Douglass insulted her too, saying, "She just didn't bathe often." Some Young Republicans apologized, but with a twist. Giunta told Politico, "I am so sorry to those offended by the insensitive and inexcusable language found within the more than 28,000 messages of a private group chat that I created during my campaign to lead the Young Republicans." But he added, "I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored." Bobby Walker, New York's Young Republicans leader, also apologized but said parts "may have been altered, taken out of context, or otherwise manipulated." Across the political scene, major voices blasted these messages. Rep. Elise Stefanik’s office told Politico she is "absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans and other state YRs in a large national group chat." Rep. Mike Lawler called the statements "disgusting" and demanded immediate resignations, emphasizing the need for "basic human respect and decency." Vermont's Gov. Scott slammed the "vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue," calling it "disgusting and unacceptable," and said those involved should not just resign but "leave the Republican party — including ... Douglass." Kansas GOP Chair Danedri Herbert, who is Black, said the state's leadership was "disgusted" and made clear these views do not represent Kansas Republicans. Even New York Governor Kathy Hochul found the chats "vile" and struggled to find words for the horror. In a side note, Vice President JD Vance threw shade at Democratic Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, whose 2022 texts about wishing harm on a Republican rival were called by Vance "far worse than anything said in a college group chat." Vance said he "refuse[s] to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence." Finally, representatives for Sen. Douglass have not yet responded. The political heat is on! Racist and violent messages from young leaders have stunned parties and demanded serious action. The fallout is just beginning.

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Tags: Young republicans, Racist language, Offensive chats, Political scandal, Resignations, Hate speech,