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Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday defended young Republican leaders whose private group chat contained racist and antisemitic messages, arguing that the backlash is disproportionate and warning against “ruining kids’ lives” over “stupid jokes.”
Speaking on The Charlie Kirk Show — the podcast founded by the late conservative activist and Trump ally — Vance said the “reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” and dismissed calls for harsh consequences for the participants.
“They tell edgy, offensive jokes — that’s what kids do,” Vance said. “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 comments came after Politico published what it described as “hundreds of racist and hateful messages” exchanged in a private Telegram chat among state-level Young Republican leaders. The posts reportedly included racial slurs, praise for Adolf Hitler and jokes about gassing opponents. Several participants have lost jobs or political positions since the story broke, while others have apologized or claimed the messages were doctored.
Backlash from both parties
Republicans and Democrats alike condemned the content. The Young Republican National Federation said it was “appalled by the vile and inexcusable language,” calling the remarks “disgraceful” and demanding the involved members resign.
“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, R-N.Y. “They should resign from any leadership position immediately.”
A White House official stressed that the administration had no affiliation with the “Restore YR” faction tied to the chat, saying the group’s request for an endorsement “never got one.”
Vance, however, urged restraint, saying a single online lapse should not destroy careers. “We live in a digital world,” he said. “We’re not canceling kids because they do something stupid in a group chat.”
Vance contrasts GOP scandal with Democratic controversy
The vice president linked the uproar to a separate controversy involving Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in Virginia, who apologized after text messages surfaced in which he joked that a Republican lawmaker deserved “two bullets to the head.”
Vance said Jones’s remarks — which have drawn bipartisan condemnation — were “1,000 times worse” than what the Young Republicans said privately. “Focus on the real issues,” Vance said. “Don’t get distracted by kids saying stupid things in a group chat.”
Democratic strategist Mike Nellis called Vance’s defense “ridiculous,” saying, “For the vice president of the United States to both-sides this is absurd. Those comments were disgusting and unacceptable.”
Debate over standards and hypocrisy
Privately, some Republicans said Vance’s comments reflect growing frustration within the party over what they see as disproportionate media scrutiny and “cancel culture.” One former Trump White House official said the vice president was distinguishing between “inexperienced operatives” and “a statewide nominee for one of the most powerful law enforcement jobs in the country.”
Others within the GOP pushed back, saying the leaked chat cannot simply be excused as “boys being boys.” “They’re grown-a– men,” one Republican operative said, adding that both the group chat and Jones’s texts were indefensible. “These people should resign and probably never have a job in politics again,” the operative said.
Vance has made similar arguments before. In February, he defended rehiring a federal employee who had resigned over racist social-media posts, saying “stupid social media activity” should not “ruin a kid’s life.”
Still, Vance has also called for firing those who celebrated Kirk’s assassination last month, insisting that violent or threatening speech crosses a line. “If they were left-wing kids telling stupid left-wing jokes,” he said Wednesday, “I would also not want their lives to be ruined.”
The vice president’s remarks underscore the Republican Party’s internal struggle over how to balance free speech, accountability and a digital culture in which private messages can quickly become public controversies.
