The Republican Party is facing a storm of controversy after thousands of leaked private messages from Young Republican leaders surfaced, revealing a torrent of racist, antisemitic, and violent rhetoric exchanged over several months in 2025. The fallout has exposed deep rifts within the party, ignited fierce debate on national television, and prompted a whirlwind of reactions from party officials, conservative influencers, and far-right activists alike.
According to Politico, the scandal erupted when over 2,900 pages of Telegram chats—spanning from early January to mid-August—were made public. The exchanges involved about a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans, many of whom already hold positions in government or party politics, including a state senator. The chats included jokes about gas chambers, slavery, and rape, with participants using racial slurs and even expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler. In one particularly chilling message, Joe Maligno, an ex-general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, wrote, “Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic.”
The messages weren’t the idle banter of political novices. William Hendrix, vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, used racial slurs more than a dozen times, while Bobby Walker, then vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans, referred to rape as “epic.” In June, Peter Giunta, chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, declared, “everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber,” referencing an internal vote on his bid to lead the national federation. The group at the center of the scandal, the Young Republican National Federation, boasts 15,000 members between the ages of 18 and 40 and is known for grooming future Republican leaders and campaigners.
The initial response from party officials was mixed. The Kansas Republican Party acted swiftly, disbanding its Young Republican chapter and firing Hendrix from his job in the Kansas Attorney General’s office. The Young Republican National Federation, which has a 94-year history, issued a statement saying it was “appalled by the vile and inexcusable language” and called for the resignation of those involved. Several state chapters also condemned the chats, and some participants, such as a chief of staff for a New York State Assembly member, were dismissed from their positions.
Yet, as Slate reported, the reaction from the party’s influential MAGA wing was markedly different. Vice President JD Vance, a prominent figure in the movement, downplayed the significance of the scandal. On October 14, 2025, Vance responded on X by comparing the Young Republicans’ leaked messages to a 2022 text scandal involving Virginia Democrat Jay Jones, who had fantasized about killing a state House speaker. Vance wrote, “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.” He argued that the Democratic scandal was “far worse than anything said in a college group chat,” despite the fact that many of those involved in the Republican chats were not college students but active government employees.
The controversy reached a boiling point during a heated segment on CNN’s “NewsNight” on October 15. Republican strategist Kristin Davis criticized Vance’s response, saying, “He missed an opportunity here. He could have really used this moment as a learning moment to encourage those caught up in the scandal to be better by denouncing what they said.” Davis added, “They’re young. They need to make mistakes. They need to apologize and see the error and move forward, and I wish that, you know, the vice president would have said that.”
Other voices on the panel reflected the deep divisions the issue has exposed. Keith Boykin, a political commentator, remarked, “The saddest thing about this story is that it was not the least bit surprising to me.” He suggested that the normalization of such rhetoric was symptomatic of broader trends within the party. Conservative radio host Ben Ferguson countered that the Young Republicans “were not calling people ‘Hitler’ or ‘fascist’,” only to be reminded that Vance himself had once compared Donald Trump to Hitler in 2016, calling him “America’s Hitler.”
Vance, who has recently advocated against using terms like “Nazi” as insults, doubled down on his stance in an appearance on Real America’s Voice, stating, “Grow up! Focus on the real issues. Don’t focus on what kids say in group chat. The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys—they tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. We’re not canceling kids because they do something stupid in a group chat.”
Conservative commentators and far-right influencers quickly rallied to Vance’s defense. Matt Walsh, a prominent conservative voice, accused the left of hypocrisy, noting that Democrats had largely stood by Jay Jones after his scandal. “Meanwhile, a few college kids make edgy jokes in a group chat and conservatives are tripping over themselves to denounce and disavow and call for firings and resignations,” Walsh said. Others, like Alex Rosen, went even further, posting, “Not only am I ok with what was said in the group chat, those messages have my full endorsement.”
The scandal has also become a flashpoint for intra-party feuds and far-right recruitment efforts. According to Slate, some far-right groups, including College Republicans United—affiliated with white supremacist livestreamer Nick Fuentes—seized the moment to recruit disaffected Young Republicans. “Any [Young Republican] member who is persecuted should consider reaching out to us. We are willing to help you,” the group declared. Meanwhile, accusations swirled that Gavin Wax, president of the New York City Young Republican Club, was behind the leak due to internal disputes. Fuentes himself praised Vance’s response, saying, “Now he’s defending these young Republicans, and I never thought I’d see it ever, but Republicans are finally learning to play the whataboutism game, and that’s overdue.”
Online, the reaction from the far right was often dismissive of the scandal’s contents and more focused on the fact that the chats had been leaked at all. Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio wrote, “Lol they’re worried about these milquetoast chats? Wait till they see mine.” Canadian livestreamer Tyler Russell echoed the sentiment, saying, “There are thousands of group chats like this where gen z people talk like that. This is how we talk. We shit post … it’s just locker room talk—get over it.”
As the Republican Party grapples with the fallout, the episode has underscored the generational and ideological divides within its ranks. While some leaders and organizations have acted decisively to distance themselves from the hateful rhetoric, others have chosen to minimize or even justify the behavior, citing political double standards and a culture of outrage. The incident has not only sparked a reckoning over the party’s future direction but has also highlighted the broader challenge of confronting extremism in the digital age.
The story continues to develop, but for now, the Republican Party finds itself at a crossroads, forced to reckon with the words and actions of its youngest—and perhaps most revealing—members.
