Newly released photo shows Trump with young Republicans in racist group chat scandal

WASHINGTON – A photo from 2024 shows President Donald Trump backstage at a campaign rally with two members of the National Young Republican Federation who participated in the deeply disturbing and racist group chat. leaked to Politico earlier this week.

The photo, obtained by News themezone, shows Trump giving a thumbs up with Peter Giunta, a regular participant in the group chat who said at one point, “I love Hitler,” and Anne KayKaty, who chimed in in the group chat that she wanted to “watch people burn.”

The photo provides additional evidence to refute attempts by Republican leaders, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R.N.Y.), to portray chat participants as mere children whose racist and anti-Semitic views had little influence on the party. While local party officials, donors and others often take photos with political candidates before rallies, going backstage usually requires them to have at least some influence.

Giunta originally shared the photo on her Facebook page, but it is no longer publicly available.

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In a statement to News themezone, a White House official suggested there was nothing unusual about the president’s photo: “Every president, including President Trump, takes tens of thousands of photographs throughout their campaign.”

Giunta also took a photo with Reps. Mike Lawler (R.N.Y.) and Stefanik, who condemned the remarks in the group chat.

The leaked conversation revealed several Young Republican group leaders making deeply repugnant comments. They referred to black people as monkeys and “watermelon people.” They used insults like “faggot,” “retard,” and “nigga.” They talked about raping and putting their political enemies in gas chambers.

And, of course, Giunta casually praised Adolf Hitler.

Vance on Wednesday tried to downplay the content of these chats, strangely saying that the leaders of the Young Republicans were simply “children” who told “daring and offensive jokes.”

But as the photo shows, Giunta and KayKaty were relevant enough to the Trump campaign to have direct access to Trump for a photo. Never mind that the National Young Republican Federation registers anyone between the ages of 18 and 40, or that Giunta, who chaired the organization’s New York state chapter, was in his 30s when he sent his “I love Hitler” text message.

Board resigned last month of the New York State Young Republicans amid allegations of “possible serious financial misconduct” within the group. kaykaty He remains a member of the New York State Young Republicans national committee.

When asked about Thursday’s Hitler-loving group chat, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he, too, had been photographed with the participants.

“I don’t know who these people are, I’ve never heard of them. Someone posted a picture of me next to them,” Johnson said.

He assumed his photo with Young Republican leaders was taken at Trump’s inauguration.

“People just come and ask for selfies, thousands of them,” Johnson said. “But whoever these young people are and whatever they say, if it’s true, we obviously condemn it, and the organizations involved are dealing with it.”