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By Marni Rose McFall
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The president of Turning Point USA’s Florida International University (FIU) chapter, Ian Valdes, has stepped down from his position after a report from the Miami Herald revealed that he was involved in a racist group chat among Miami campus conservatives.
Logs of the WhatsApp chat, obtained by the Herald and verified by two people in the group, showed that participants had used variations of the n-word more than 400 times, described women as "whores," used slurs to talk about gay and Jewish people and discussed Hitler’s politics, the newspaper said. The logs obtained spanned two and a half weeks in September and October.
Why It Matters
Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics and was founded by Charlie Kirk, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a prominent young voice in the MAGA movement. Since his death, the organization has been led by his widow, Erika Kirk.
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It’s not the first time that a group chat linked to Republicans has made headlines for containing racist language. Last year, Politico obtained some 2,900 pages of exchanges over seven months among a dozen Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont, where Young Republicans were implicated in sending antisemitic and misogynistic messages.
What To Know
In a statement shared to Instagram on Saturday, the Turning Point FIU chapter said that it had been "made aware of the recent incident involving chapter leadership."
"The chapter president has stepped down from leadership, turned over social media, and we are currently reconstituting our leadership team," it read.
Comments on the post have been turned off.
The group chat has been widely condemned.
Miami-Dade County Republican Party Chairman Kevin Cooper said in response to questions about the group chats that anyone associated should "resign immediately," as per the Herald.
"I am shocked and appalled at these statements. Racism and antisemitism have no place in the Republican Party," Cooper said.
FIU President Jeanette Nunez, a former Florida lieutenant governor and Republican state lawmaker, confirmed that university police are investigating the group chat.
"FIU does not and will not tolerate violence, hate, discrimination, harassment, racism or antisemitism," Nunez said. "This is not who we are. This is not what FIU stands for."
What People Are Saying
Turning Point USA’s Florida International University Chapter, in a statement shared to Instagram: "Our chapter remains focused on fostering constructive conversation, supporting our members and continuing our mission of engaging students in meaningful discussions within the FIU community."
Florida GOP, on X: "The Republican Party of Florida consistently stands against racism, antisemitism and bigotry in all its hateful forms of expression. RPOF has been made aware of repugnant comments made by a few individuals in a group chat that are completely contrary to everything the Republican Party of Florida stands for and represents."
Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, on X: "This is disgusting and cannot be tolerated. I’m glad that RPOF is launching an investigation and expect anyone who engaged in this horrible behavior to be held accountable. Racists and antisemites are not welcome in the Republican Party."
What Happens Next
The group chat remains under investigation, and anyone with information related to these allegations should report it to report.fiu.edu or call 844-234-7742.
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