Vance on public outrage over the "I love Hitler" group chat: "Grow up! Focus on the real issues. Don't focus on what kids say in group chats… The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys — they tell edgy, offensive jokes. That's what kids do." pic.twitter.com/POLAnldP2P
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) October 15, 2025
Vice President JD Vance defended the Young Republicans — who celebrated Hitler and repeatedly used racist slurs in a Telegram chat between January and mid-August — by calling them “kids” and “young boys” even though Forbes notes they are adults, four of whom have been fired from their jobs because of their bigotry:
Peter Giunta’s time as chief of staff to Republican New York Assemblymember Mike Reilly “has ended,” Reilly told Politico and Joseph Maligno is no longer employed at the New York Unified Court System, the outlet reported.
The job statuses of two other members changed after Politico began making inquiries about the chat before the article published on Tuesday: William Hendrix is “no longer employed” at Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office, and Bobby Walker will not move forward with plans to work on New York congressional candidate Peter Oberacker’s campaign, according to Politico.
Forbes and the “I’ve Had It” podcast noted some of the bigoted remarks made by these adults:
In the chat, Giunta, then-chair of the New York State Young Republicans, suggested anyone who voted against him becoming chair of the Young Republican National Federation “is going to the gas chamber,” likened watching an NBA game to watching “monkey play ball,” referred to Black people as “the watermelon people,” expressed support for slavery, and wrote “I love Hitler,” Politico reported.
Maligno, who previously identified himself as general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, reportedly responded to Giunta’s gas chamber suggestion by writing “Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic.”
Hendrix, vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, allegedly used the terms “n—ga” and “n—guh” more than a dozen times, and Walker, vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as “epic” and used the term “f——t,” among other troubling messages.
(Sources: Politico, Forbes, I’ve Had It, Real America’s Voice)