JD Vance has downplayed the revelation that leaders of the Young Republicans group exchanged hundreds of racist and sexist text messages, including one that said “I love Hitler” and another calling rape “epic”. The vice-president described the messages as youthful indiscretions.
Vance suggested the participants were much younger than they actually are. Some of those involved are barely younger than the 41-year-old vice-president, with public records indicating eight of the 11 operatives range in age from 24 to 35.
“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.”
Mother Jones, which reported on the leaked chats, identified the participants as Republican operatives aged between 24 and 35. The texts included numerous racial and sexual slurs, as well as references to violence.
