The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus is outraged by the hateful, bigoted messages uncovered in a private Telegram group chat among national and state leaders of the Young Republicans, as reported Tuesday by Politico.
The chat, titled Restore YR War Room, contained racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic remarks, including praise for Hitler, calls for violence against Jewish Americans, and vile comments about women and political opponents. Many of the individuals involved hold positions in Republican leadership or government employment, underscoring the alarming normalization of extremist rhetoric within the modern GOP.
“While Donald Trump was tarnishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom by awarding it to a dead bigot, the hatred the two of them encouraged and inspired was exposed today by Politico’s publication of the contents of a chat group run by many leaders of the Young Republicans across the nation,” said Kristen Browde, President of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus.
“Trump and Charlie Kirk were the Republicans these disgraceful punks emulated, as they exchanged lines like ‘I love Hitler’ and called for gas chambers for Jewish Americans and rapes or murder of their political opponents. This can’t be excused as stupid youngsters just mouthing off. These individuals, several of whom hold government jobs, are up to 40 years old. They openly demonstrated their bigotry, antisemitism, and racism, not just in one message, but over an entire year of exchanges.”
“The sentiments are offensive and outside any acceptable realm of political discussion. They must be laid at the feet of the extremist MAGA movement that took hate and made it policy again. Even if they denounce it now, they own the corruption of the younger generation of their followers.”
The Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus calls on Republican leaders, at every level, to condemn these actions, remove anyone involved from positions of influence, and take immediate responsibility for the culture of hate that continues to fester under their watch.