JD Vance Dismisses Outrage At Young Republicans After Leak of Sexist, Racist Messages: 'That's What Kids Do'

Earlier this week, hundreds of controversial messages from a group chat comprised of young Republican leaders were leaked. They contained sexist, antisemitic and violent remarks.

Politico published on Tuesday hundreds of messages from a Telegram chat used by leaders of Young Republican chapters in several states, including New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.

Several officials across the country have taken action against those involved. The Kansas Young Republicans was dissolved by the state GOP after the report surfaced. In New York, State Assemblymember Mike Reilly fired Peter Giunta, the individual who allegedly created the group chat, from his role as chief of staff.

However, not all officials have reacted in the same way. Vice President JD Vance has come to their defense, arguing that he does not want to live in a country "where a kid telling a very offensive, stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives."

Appearing on "The Charlie Kirk Show," Vance said that the public should not take decisive action against those involved. He added that society in the United States needs to stop punishing people for things said on the internet.

"They tell edgy, offensive jokes, like, that's what kids do," Vance said, as reported by NBC News. "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. And at some point we're all going to have to say enough of this BS, we're not going to allow the worst moment in a 21-year-old's group chat to ruin a kid's life for the rest of time. That's just not OK."

The messages reportedly included racial slurs targeting Black and Latino individuals, praise of Adolf Hitler and jokes about sending opponents to gas chambers.

While some of those identified declined to comment or questioned the way the messages were obtained, others issued apologies.

Giunta said he was "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."

"While I take complete responsibility, I have had no way of verifying their accuracy and am deeply concerned that the message logs in question may have been deceptively doctored," he added.

As NBC News noted, this is not the first time Vance has used such rhetoric. In February, he advocated for rehiring a federal employee who resigned after making controversial social media posts supporting racism and eugenics.

Although Vance's remarks suggest a degree of solidarity with those involved in the group chat leak, recent actions by the Trump administration reveal inconsistencies in how some Republicans define free and protected speech.

Following Kirk's assassination last month, Vance and other Republican leaders called for people who celebrated his death to be fired or otherwise punished.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of State confirmed that it had revoked the visas of six foreign nationals who publicly celebrated Kirk's murder.

In a statement posted on its official X account, the State Department said, "The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death upon Americans." The agency added that it "will continue identifying visa holders who celebrated the heinous murder of Charlie Kirk," stating that such individuals "are not welcome in the United States."

Among those affected was Serena Luciano, an Argentine student living in Chicago, who wrote on Facebook that Kirk "dedicated his life to spreading racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic rhetoric" and "deserves to burn in hell." Her post gained attention from conservative figures and U.S. officials, leading to the revocation of her student visa, as reported by La Tercera.

Other sanctioned individuals include citizens of South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Paraguay and Mexico. According to the State Department, their posts either mocked Kirk's death or justified it on ideological grounds.

Originally published on Latin Times