Despite the White House’s attempts to distance itself from a bombshell investigative report revealing the racist and violent text messages exchanged by several young Republican leaders, new evidence—a photograph featuring President Donald Trump alongside a couple of these individuals—has reignited the controversy.
As previously reported by theGrio, prominent Black leaders, including NAACP President Derrick Johnson and U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, have vocally condemned the shocking text messages leaked from a group chat among young Republican leaders based in states like New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.
According to an investigation conducted by Politico, the members of the Young Republican National Federation engaged in conversations that referred to Black individuals in derogatory terms, with jokes about slavery and rape, along with offensive racial slurs. They infamously referenced harmful stereotypes about Black people, such as eating watermelon and fried chicken, in a deeply troubling reflection of prevailing racist attitudes.
In a bid to mitigate the backlash, the White House and Vice President JD Vance attempted to downplay the gravity of these revelations. Vance dismissed the racist remarks as “a bunch of kids” engaging in inappropriate banter within the confines of a group chat, albeit acknowledging the offensive nature of the discourse.
“I refuse to join the pearl clutching,” he stated, making a contrast to remarks made by Virginia Democratic nominee for attorney general Jay Jones, who had previously expressed violent thoughts regarding then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
Leaders within the Black community voiced their concern, arguing that the statements unveiled in the young Republican group chat reflect a deeper, systemic issue within the Republican Party itself. They urged President Trump and other top Republican figures to issue a strong condemnation of such rhetoric to mitigate the damage to the party’s reputation.
While President Trump has yet to publicly address the ongoing controversy, a resurfaced photograph featuring him with two of the young Republican leaders, Peter Giunta and Anne Kaykaty, who were implicated in the dissemination of these disturbing texts, adds more fuel to the fire.
Giunta, the former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, made headlines for his inflammatory comments, including a reference to going to the zoo to watch “monkeys play ball” during a discussion regarding an NBA playoff game. He is also reported to have referred to Black individuals as “the watermelon people” and shockingly stated, “I love Hitler.”
Kaykaty, another member of the group, made a particularly chilling remark in the chat expressing a desire “to watch people burn,” referencing gas chambers—the horrific instruments of mass murder used during the Holocaust.
The problematic photograph of Trump with Giunta and Kaykaty was taken backstage at a 2024 Trump campaign rally and originally shared by Giunta on his Facebook page, where it has since been removed. Critics argue that this photograph contradicts the administration’s assertions that the individuals involved in the group chat were inconsequential or isolated cases.
A spokesperson from the White House told HuffPost, “All presidents, including President Trump, take tens of thousands of pictures over the course of their campaign.” This statement, however, seems inadequate to address the growing concerns surrounding the implications of Trump’s association with figures entangled in such hate-filled rhetoric.
The existence of this photo raises questions about the credibility of the White House’s claims that the young Republicans are merely “random” individuals without significant ties to the party’s mainstream leadership. In environments where high-profile politicians like Trump are interacting with figures like Giunta and Kaykaty, the lines between casual association and endorsement blur significantly.
As criticism mounts, voices like Marcus W. Robinson from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have pointed out that this pervasive racist and hateful rhetoric has been increasingly normalized under Trump’s administration. This pattern of behavior is seen as a dangerous escalation, drawing the nation backward rather than forging ahead toward unity and progress. Robinson expressed that this is not simply about political disagreements but about a troubling trend of legitimizing and mainstreaming abhorrent views within the political landscape.
He concluded with a poignant call to action, urging that those in power—including every Republican leader who has supported this rhetoric—should feel a sense of shame for allowing such discourse to permeate their party’s culture. The narrative ignites complex discussions around accountability, the influence of leadership on party culture, and the dynamics of race in American politics today.