Remember the hateful Young Republicans group chat? It's the tip of the iceberg.

Eli Thompson

In October, a conservative group chat leak pulled back the curtain on hateful rhetoric by leaders of Young Republican chapters and other party activists such as Paul Ingrassia, President Donald Trump’s failed nominee to head a key federal watchdog agency.

Despite what top party officials such as Vice President JD Vance have said, these were not small mistakes made by young people.

Rather, they’re a reflection of what the young conservative movement has become and what the party will look like in the future. These young people aren’t inspired by your grandfather's Republican Party; it’s a movement that sees “owning the libs” as their ultimate mission. Doing so justifies any rhetoric, no matter how offensive it is, as long as it is aimed at the left. If Republican leaders don't confront this head-on, it will cement them as the extremist party.

I know these things because I’ve seen behavior like this at my conservative college, where right-leaning student groups often prioritize viral stunts, like hosting controversial speakers to trigger progressives, rather than organizing real debates about policy.

It’s not about building a case for conservatism; it’s about shocking and insulting the other side. The group chats reflect this on a larger scale. GOP activists who have the job of shaping the party’s future would rather air hateful comments than do the real work of explaining how their party is best suited to deal with our nation’s most pressing problems.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/11/04/young-republican-chat-college-extremism-conservative/86934918007/?tbref=h

And where have they learned this behavior? Most likely from their parents.