In just the past few months, conservatives have seen tens of thousands of Democrats openly celebrate the murder of Charlie Kirk — just as they celebrated the murder of the United Healthcare CEO, and just as they celebrated the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

We’ve seen Antifa mobs surrounding ICE vehicles and assaulting officers, only for Democrats to order the local police to stand down. We’ve seen Democrats vandalize dozens of cars because of Elon Musk, only to suffer no criminal consequences whatsoever in states like Minnesota. We’ve seen Democrat politicians react to transgender mass shootings at Christian churches by defending the so-called “trans community,” rather than the Christians.

We’ve also seen the entire Democrat Party rally around their nominee for attorney general of Virginia, Jay Jones, after he fantasized about the murder of children — specifically, the children of his political opponents. To this day, not a single prominent Democrat has called on Jay Jones to drop out of the race. In fact, the Democrats’ candidate for governor in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, grinned like a sociopath when she was asked about Jay Jones during a recent debate.

There are two conclusions we can draw here. First, Democrats are the party of political violence. They commit political violence all the time, and they celebrate it. Secondly, Democrats stick together. When Democrats are caught on camera attacking federal officers, or talking about killing children in text messages, the leadership of the Democrat Party doesn’t issue any kind of condemnation. They don’t call for anyone to lose their job. Instead, if they decide to say anything at all, Democrats will blame their victims. After all, their victims are “Fascists” and “Nazis.” They deserve what they get, in the eyes of the Left.

In a political environment like this — if you can even call it a “political” environment — the only way for an opposing party to survive is to play by the Left’s rules. That’s not to say we should endorse political violence, or celebrate violence. But at the same time, we need to adopt a kind of wartime footing. We have to avoid unnecessary infighting. We can’t place a premium on “decorum” or “civility.” We have to start acting like a movement that’s going to be slaughtered — in the literal sense — if we don’t recognize the nature of our enemy, and unite in an effort to defeat them. Because that’s exactly the position we’re in.

What we saw yesterday reveals that a lot of powerful conservatives, even after everything we’ve seen this year, are still somehow blind to this reality.

In response to a hit piece published in the Virginia-based newsletter known as POLITICO, several conservatives lost their jobs and were condemned by various GOP organizations — including “The Young Republicans,” which bills itself as the oldest youth-focused political organization in the United States. They’re supposedly key to the Republican Party’s outreach to young people, which is obviously a critically important objective. And they just completely caved.

I’m not going to quote extensively from the POLITICO hit piece, or use any of the conservatives’ names that are mentioned in it. Instead, I will point out the precise moment that everyone on the Right — from the party’s leaders on down — should’ve stopped reading this article.

Here it is. It’s the headline.

Screenshot: POLITICO

“‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat.”

This is the point where you close the browser window. End of discussion.

When these people say there’s a “racist chat,” they have nothing. They define all conservative speech — every bit of it — as racist. That means that the accusation, coming from the Left, has no meaning. So if they’re not talking about a named political figure, and if they’re just going after nameless “young Republicans,” then you can close the window and save yourself the time.

And indeed, if you continue reading for some reason, you’ll discover that this article is worse than useless. It’s about a bunch of college students and recent college graduates, in a private group chat, making edgy comments and dumb jokes. There’s a grand total of one guy who’s mentioned in this article who works in the Trump administration. And he didn’t make a single comment that POLITICO quoted. So they’re faulting him for, I don’t know, reading some random kid say “I love Hitler.” Actually, they’re not even doing that, because they don’t even know he read any of these messages.

Here’s the claim that POLITICO makes in its article.

At least one person in the Telegram chat works in the Trump administration … [He] serves as a senior adviser in the office of general counsel within the U.S. Small Business Administration. [He] did not have much to say in the chat, but he didn’t offer any pushback against the offensive rhetoric in it either. He declined to comment.

This is the purest possible form of guilt-by-association. If you’re a member of a massive group chat, then according to POLITICO, you’re responsible for everything they say — across tens of thousands of pages of messages, over a period of seven months. And of course, within seconds, this became a Democrat Party talking point. Here’s Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.:

This is some vile stuff. And these aren’t teenagers. Many are Republican staffers. At least one works for Trump.

Yes, the guy who “works for Trump,” who didn’t say anything quoted in this article, is now being smeared as a racist who loves Hitler. That’s how this works. And by the way, buried around 50 paragraphs down in POLITICO’s article, you’ll find this line:

Many of the slurs, epithets and violent language used in the chat often appear to be intended as jokes.

Here’s one example of those jokes, as reported by POLITICO:

Screenshot: POLITICO

Someone in the Michigan Young Republicans says that he “had some back and forth” with a vice chair in Michigan, who told him that the current chair of the organization isn’t working out. But on the bright side, he says, “My delegates will vote for the most right-wing person.” So they’re excited about replacing the chair with someone who’s very right-wing. And then someone replies, “Great. I love Hitler.” And in response, someone replies with a laughing emoji.

This is what POLITICO put in the headline of this article. They made it seem like there were serious discussions among young Republicans about how great Hitler is. But then when you read the context, they’re obviously joking with one another, using an extreme example for effect. It’s a bit like someone going to use a Porta-Potty or something, and coming back and announcing to his friends, “Wow, I really dropped an atom bomb in there.” No one who hears that is going to think, “My god. This guy endorses the use of atom bombs within the borders of the United States.” But if you take the remark out of context, and blast it in a headline in POLITICO, then you’re probably going to convince a lot of people that this person is a domestic terrorist who’s planting dirty bombs in public toilets. That’s why, in general, it’s a bad idea to take private jokes between a small number of people, and then publish them in a “news article.”

As you read on in the POLITICO hit piece — which again, you shouldn’t — you get paragraphs like this.

The private rhetoric isn’t happening in a vacuum. It comes amid a widespread coarsening of the broader political discourse and as incendiary and racially offensive tropes from the right become increasingly common in public debate. Last month, Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated video that showed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose fabricated remarks were about trading free health care for immigrant votes — a false, long-running GOP trope. The sombrero meme has been widely used to mock Democrats as the government shutdown wears on.

So that’s the official position of POLITICO. They’re upset about the sombrero meme, which was objectively hilarious. They say it’s “false” that Democrats offer handouts to attract votes from foreigners, even though it’s clearly true. In fact, it’s their entire platform.

This is the “news outlet” that we’re supposed to take seriously. And incredibly, some Republicans are taking it seriously.

According to the article:

Since POLITICO began making inquiries, one member of the group chat is no longer employed at their job and another’s job offer was rescinded. Prominent New York Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik and state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, have denounced the chat.

So has Ed Cox, the chair of the New York state GOP,  along with the North Carolina Federation of Young Republicans, the Republican Party of Arizona, the Missouri GOP, the Kansas GOP, and so on. All of these Republican organizations have condemned the young Republicans mentioned in the POLITICO hit piece.

Additionally, the board of directors of the national Young Republicans group put out this statement.

Credit: yrnational/Instagram.com

Credit: yrnational/Instagram.com

We are appalled by the vile and inexcusable language revealed in the POLITICO article published today. Such behavior is disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents. Those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect, and professionalism.  – Board of Directors.

This response is indistinguishable from the statements released by various Democrats in response to this story — none of whom have condemned Jay Jones for wishing death on the children of conservative parents.

Chuck Schumer posted this statement for example, in response to the POLITICO hit piece:

Sickening. Revolting. Vile. This makes you want to throw up. This is the kind of garbage that the worst kind of people say when they think nobody is watching. And where are Republican leaders from Trump on down condemning these comments swiftly and unequivocally!? I’m waiting to hear it.

You almost have to stand in awe, and admire the sheer gall of a statement like this. He’s stating, in no uncertain terms, that Democrats can wish death on their political opponents, but conservative college students can’t make offensive jokes in a private group chat. That is his position. It’s the position of the entire Democrat Party.

And until that changes, I don’t want to hear a single word from any Republican about how horrible these Telegram messages supposedly were. It’s not even worth saying, “Well, it’s inappropriate, but boys will be boys.” That’s giving these people far too much credit. Democrats have so degraded our civic discourse, and our civic life, to the point that Republican events now have to be held indoors with metal detectors, at every campus, because there’s a legitimate risk of a Democrat sniper on the roof. They want to kill us. They aren’t actually concerned about any of these jokes in the group chat. No one actually cares. They simply want to use every available method to destroy us.

And they’re especially interested in destroying youth outreach organizations. That’s why they killed Charlie Kirk, and celebrated his assassination. They understood the threat posed by Turning Point. And they understand the threat posed by this Young Republicans group, as well.

Democrats have realized they have a real problem with support among young people. They’ve managed to destroy one of their most reliable demographics, through their sheer insanity. And rather than address that problem by changing their policies, they’ve decided to start dismantling youth-focused conservative groups, with acts of terrorism if necessary. That’s how the Left intends on taking back the youth vote: By force. And in response, we need to defend young people from malicious attacks like this.

JD Vance, to his credit, saw this hit piece for what it was. He immediately put out this response, pointing out that Democrats have embraced Jay Jones.

This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia. I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence. pic.twitter.com/kV57Wq7BLG

— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 14, 2025

Credit: @JDVance/X.com

The Young Republicans of Texas put out a similar statement, hitting Jay Jones.

That’s the only appropriate response when Democrats attempt to use our morality against us. Don’t apologize. Don’t fire anyone. Don’t give them what they want. You don’t have to be happy with this group chat. But realistically, if you want to defend against the Leftist onslaught against our lives and our freedoms, it’s your only choice. I’m not saying “two wrongs make a right.” I’m saying that we can either stick together, or lose everything. That’s the choice that Leftists have created for us. They’re waging a highly asymmetric war at the moment. In every case, they’re defending the most vile and overt corruption imaginable. They’re defending violence. When you’re up against an opponent like that, you simply cannot abide by any normal rules of political discourse, because political discourse has already broken down.

We’re at the point where, every day or so, we learn of a new effort by Democrats to cover for one another.

In fact, before this ridiculous POLITICO story broke yesterday, my first thought was to do an opening monologue on Letitia James, the Democrats’ flagrantly corrupt attorney general in New York. Here’s how the New York Times is covering the fact that she’s just been indicted, for falsely claiming that she was using a house in Virginia as her second home.

This is the Times’ headline:

In the Eye of a Political Storm, a Tiny Yellow House in Norfolk, Va. Attorney General Letitia James of New York purchased the $137,000 home for a grandniece who needed tranquillity. Prosecutors say it is an impermissible investment property.

So they’re portraying Letitia James as a saintly figure, who purchased a home for a relative who “needed tranquility.” 

Meanwhile, here’s how the New York Post is covering this same story.

New York’s top law enforcer is housing a cop-hating fugitive relative with a lengthy felony rap sheet — who was twice arrested for assaulting police officers — at one of her Virginia homes, according to court documents.  State attorney general Letitia James’ grand-niece, Nakia Thompson, 36, is currently wanted for “absconding” from North Carolina after failing to complete the terms of her parole following a 2011 arrest in Winston-Salem, authorities said. … Thompson has also been repeatedly arrested and cited in Virginia, since moving there — with charges including possession of burglary tools, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and grand larceny.

Oh. Well, that changes things a little bit. If you read the New York Times, you’ll come away with the impression that Letitia James is being prosecuted because she’s too thoughtful. She’s just too nice to her grand-niece, so the Trump administration wants to throw her in jail. And then you learn that, in reality, she’s harboring a wanted criminal.

This is how the Left operates. Even when they commit crimes, even when they house criminals, even when they call for the murder of their political opponents — the Left circles the wagons. They put out stories that flagrantly lie about what’s happening. And they don’t even contemplate the possibility, even for a second, of admitting fault. They understand that Letitia James tried to bankrupt their primary political opponent, Donald Trump. And that’s all that matters to them.

It’s all that matters to New Yorkers as well.

Take a look at the reception for Letitia James at a Zohran Mamdani rally:

JUST IN: New York Attorney General Letitia James raises her fist in the air after being criminally indicted for bank fraud.

“We are here tonight because we are ready to turn the page on the cynical, broken, politics of the past,” she said at Zohran Mamdani’s rally.

lol. pic.twitter.com/FFSLJupvtl

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 14, 2025

Credit: @CollinRugg/X.com

Think about this scene for a second. This woman ran on a platform of taking down Donald Trump, by any means necessary. It was an obviously corrupt promise for a candidate for attorney general to make. But it resonated with New Yorkers, who wanted to see Donald Trump bankrupted and imprisoned. And then, ultimately, as we all know, Letitia James failed. Trump won the presidency, and he won the civil case. She failed to deliver on her one campaign promise, which was to abuse the power of her office for partisan reasons.

And yet, despite her failure, the communists at this rally still worship her. That is what party loyalty looks like, on the Left. Even when you fail, if you’re a member of the party in good standing, they “have your back.” And as Letitia James said, she “has their back,” too.

There aren’t many tenets of Leftism that the Right should adopt. But this is one of them. We shouldn’t be blindly loyal to political figures. We shouldn’t outright defend immoral conduct. We shouldn’t cover for criminal behavior like the Left does. But a basic level of unity, of having each others backs, is necessary. A unified movement will always defeat a fractured one. And if we’re going to become fractured over some jokes in a group chat, while our enemies openly commit crimes and celebrate murder, then we simply won’t last very long.

The messages in that group chat were not a story. Even the Left doesn’t really think those messages were a story. If you’re on the Right, and you came to any other conclusion, then you’re a liability and you need to step aside so that someone — even someone who might make the occasional off-color joke — is able to actually lead and help us defeat our common enemy.

One month after Charlie Kirk’s death, there’s no shortage of conservatives who want to meet this challenge. And regardless of what they think about us over at POLITICO’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, we should let them do it.