The Young Republican National Federation (YRNF) — an organization dedicated to politically organizing young conservatives and helping them win elected office across the United States — is under fire after thousands of homophobic, sexist, racist, anti-Semitic, and violent Telegram messages from state-level group chats were leaked.
Politico reviewed nearly 2,900 pages of messages exchanged between January and August 2025 by members of state chapters of the YRNF, the youth wing of the Republican Party. Many of those involved in the chats currently hold or have held positions in state governments across New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.
Participants in the chats used racist, ableist, and homophobic slurs 251 times, according to Politico’s analysis. “Faggots,” “monkeys,” “watermelon people,” and “retards” were just some of the reported language used.
Within the leaked messages, at least six instances of explicitly homophobic language came from some of the youngest leaders in the Republican Party. Much of this rhetoric targeted Hayden Padgett, who recently won election as national chair of the Young Republicans. Padgett’s victory came after a bitter contest with Peter Giunta, the former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, who led an “insurgent” faction within the group and has been quoted most frequently in coverage of the leak.
Giunta, who was found to repeatedly say how much he “loved” Hitler in the group chat and used the N-word multiple times, was reportedly angry over losing the August election. He wrote messages such as “Minnesota – faggots,” referring to the state’s Young Republican organization, and “So you mean Hayden faggot wrote the resolution himself?”
Luke Mosiman, chair of the Arizona Young Republicans, responded with “RAPE HAYDEN” — later joking about Spanish colonizers coming to America and having “sex with every single woman.” Alex Dwyer, chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, replied, “Sex is gay.” Mosiman followed with, “Sex? It was rape.”
Bobby Walker, former vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans and former communications director for New York state Sen. Peter Oberacker, made at least two homophobic comments, including “Stay in the closet faggot,” and, in another message mocking Padgett, “Adolf Padgette is in the faggotbunker as we speak.”
William Hendrix, vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans and former communications assistant for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, was also a frequent participant, posting numerous racist and homophobic remarks — including, “Missouri doesn’t like fags.”
Joe Maligno, who served as general counsel for the New York State Young Republicans, said, “Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don’t fit the Hitler aesthetic.”
There were multiple anti-Semitic dog whistles used, most notably Dwyer’s use of “1488” in the chat. The “14” references the 14 words in the white supremacist slogan, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” while “88” is shorthand for “Heil Hitler,” with “H” being the eighth letter in the alphabet.
In response to the controversy Vice President J.D. Vance downplayed the leak, calling it an example of “kids doing stupid things” and “telling edgy, offensive jokes.”
Everyone mentioned in the group chat is over the age of 20. Peter Giunta is 31 years old, and Joe Maligno is 35. The ages of the other participants were not specified, but most accounts indicate they are over 24.
This leak exposes how some up-and-coming Republican leaders have normalized offensive and extreme rhetoric, reflecting both the erosion of political and cultural sensitivity and the influence of Trump and his allies. It also underscores the widening divide within the party between its traditional conservative wing and a far-right faction emboldened by such rhetoric.