JD Vance sought to downplay the revelation that leaders of a group called the Young Republicans exchanged hundreds of racist, sexist text messages – including one in which rape was called “epic”, and another in which someone wrote “I love Hitler” – as youthful indiscretions.
Vance, speaking on a new episode of the Charlie Kirk Show, the podcast run by colleagues of the late conservative activist, suggested that the participants in the leaked chats were much younger than they in fact are. Some of the participants are barely younger than the 41-year-old vice-president.
“The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” Vance said. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke – telling a very offensive, stupid joke – is cause to ruin their lives.”
Politico obtained months of exchanges from a Telegram conversation between leaders and members of the Young Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.
Mother Jones reports that public records indicate that eight of the 11 Republican operatives who took part in the offensive chat appear to range in age from 24 to 35.
The revelations have prompted bipartisan calls for those involved to be removed from or resign their positions.
The Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40, called for those involved to step down from the organization. The group described the exchanges as “unbecoming of any Republican”.
Vance, however, scolded Democrats and the media for paying too much attention to “what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids, say in a group chat, however offensive”.
He suggested that the racist texts from Republicans were a distraction from offensive texts sent by a Democratic candidate for attorney general of Virginia, Jay Jones, who joked that he would prefer to kill a Republican colleague than Hitler or Pol Pot.
Jones has since said he has taken “full responsibility” for his comments and offered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, who then was speaker of Virginia’s house of delegates.
Vance expressed irritation at people he said had allowed themselves to be distracted from the Democrat’s “incredible endorsement of political violence … by focusing on what kids are saying in a group chat”.
“Grow up,” the vice-president said to those people concerned more about the racism in his party than the joking about violence in the other party. “I’m sorry, focus on the real issues, don’t focus on what kids say in group chats.”
Vance said he grew up in a different era where “most of what I, the stupid things that I did as a teenager and as a young adult, they’re not on the internet”.
The father of three said he would caution his own children, “especially my boys, don’t put things on the internet, like, be careful with what you post. If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.”
“I really don’t want to us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke, telling a very offensive, stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives,” Vance said.
Other Republicans demanded more immediate intervention. Republican legislative leaders in Vermont, along with governor Phil Scott – also a Republican – called for the resignation of Sam Douglass, a state senator, revealed to be a participant in the chat.
Saying she was “absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans”, congressperson Elise Stefanik of New York called for those involved to step down from their positions. Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas GOP, said the remarks “do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans and certainly not of Kansas Republicans at large”.
Democrats have been more uniform in their condemnation. On Wednesday, California governor Gavin Newsom wrote to James Comer, the House oversight committee chair, asking for an investigation into the “vile and offensive text messages”, which he called “the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws”.
Speaking on the Senate floor, the Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Tuesday described the chat as “revolting”, calling for Republicans including Trump and Vance to “condemn these comments swiftly and unequivocally”.
Asked about the reporting, New York governor Kathy Hochul called the exchanges “vile” and called for consequences for those involved.
“Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers,” Hochul said. “There needs to be consequences. This bullshit has to stop.”
