Vice President JD Vance made clear on Wednesday that he isn't as angry about the bombshell scandal exposing members of the Young Republicans group posting racist and neo-Nazi rhetoric among themselves in text messages, as he is about reporters going public with the thing, calling them "scumbags."
"Grow up! Focus on the real issues. Don't focus on what kids say in group chats ... The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys — they tell edgy, offensive jokes. That's what kids do," said Vance, following the report that a number of GOP operatives, some in their 30s and who hold elected office, professed love for Hitler in these chats.
This did not go over well with commenters on social media, with many pointing out that the people implicated in these chats aren't actually kids.
"Not even a month ago," wrote former President Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, linking to a clip of Vance saying, "When you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them out — and, hell, call their employer."
"These 'young boys' are professional-class Republicans in their 30s," wrote The Bulwark's Andrew Egger.
"Question for @JDVance: How hard is it to simply say 'loving Hitler is not good'?" wrote former White House staffer Jeremy Edwards.
"They're not 'young boys,' they're grown ass adults, many of whom are employed by Republican elected officials," wrote Run For Something director Amanda Litman.
"They’ve already been fired. Their own org has denounced them strongly, as have other GOP. Why keep doing this?" wrote former college football coach E.B. Beaumont.
"To be clear, the Young Republican National Federation is for people between the ages of 18 and 40 not 'young boys,'" wrote political columnist Matthew Yglesias.
"I don't believe he would grant such leeway to the younger 'boys' group chatting about Palestine and Israel on college campuses," wrote MSNBC's Sam Stein.
