Stephen Colbert Skewers JD Vance's Defense of Racist GOP Group Chat
Last night, Stephen Colbert didn't hold back as he dissected the recent controversy surrounding a leaked Young Republicans online group chat. The chat, which has been making headlines, reportedly contained over 250 slurs and, shockingly, even included a message stating "I love Hitler." Yes, you read that right.
The Young Republicans, a large organization boasting over 500 members of the Republican Party aged 18 to 40, has issued an apology for the appalling content. However, the story took another turn when Vice President JD Vance offered a defense of the group chat, both on X (formerly Twitter) and on a recent episode of the Charlie Kirk Show podcast. Vance's justification? "Kids do stupid things, especially young boys."
Colbert, never one to shy away from a good roast, seized the opportunity to respond on Wednesday's "The Late Show."
“It’s true. When I was in Cub Scouts, about 10 years old, me and my troop invaded Poland,” Colbert quipped, dripping with sarcasm.
But Colbert wasn't just going for laughs; he also pointed out the flaws in Vance's logic. "One problem with Vance’s logic here about the young boys... Despite their name, Young Republicans, to be a member of the group you have to be at least 18, and some members are up to 40 years old.”
He then joked, “Because nothing says young like getting your first routine colonoscopy.”
The late-night host then focused on the particularly disturbing "I love Hitler" message, saying, “This one’s tough to spin.”
He continued his mock defense: “‘What? I was talking about Pete Hitler and his honky-tonk bluegrass band. You’re telling me there’s another Hitler? What did he do?’”
Colbert emphasized the sheer volume of offensive material, noting there were "2,900 pages of texts." He elaborated, "These Young Republicans also text each other an array of slurs, jokes about enslavement, disparaging comments about Jews, women, Black people, and other minorities."
Adding insult to injury, Colbert highlighted the fact that the members themselves seemed to recognize the gravity of their actions. "And they knew it was bad," Colbert added, "Because one of them also texted, ‘If we ever had a leak of this chat, we would be cooked.’"
The comedian also targeted New York Young Republican Chairman Bobby Walker, who apologized for the texts while simultaneously suggesting they may have been manipulated or taken out of context. This drew a sharp retort from Colbert: “That’s not an apology. That’s like saying, ‘Your honor I plead guilty... to looking great in this orange jumpsuit.’”
This incident underscores the importance of holding individuals and organizations accountable for their words and actions, especially when those words promote hate and division. What do you think about the **Young Republicans** controversy and **JD Vance's** response? Let us know in the comments below.
Find more details about this developing story at The Daily Beast.