A massive scandal erupted when leaked chats from the Young Republican National Federation and affiliated state chapters revealed thousands of pages of vile messages—racist slurs, anti-Semitic jokes, praise for Hitler, references to gas chambers and rape—shared over a private Telegram group by future Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona, Vermont and other states. The outrage was swift: one state chapter was suspended, individuals lost jobs, and GOP leadership scrambled to distance themselves from what was portrayed as a symptom of extremist culture blooming beneath the party’s young wing. Some higher‐ups attempted to shrug it off as “kids doing stupid jokes,” but the deeper concern remains: if these are the future leaders, then the future might look darker than the brand promises.
