Lamb @Lambslide_ - Twitter Profile

On May 19, an X user with the handle basedredford wrote, “It’s literally a historic FACT that your society will thrive when you kick the Jews out of town.” The user was fond of the phrases “Shut up, Jew” and “Jewish run account,” and reposted images of Hitler and antisemitic caricatures. In one post, it accused Texas senator Ted Cruz of being an “Israel first goy slave.” The basedredford account, which was public, also made numerous posts filled with slurs about gay people and Black Americans. The account appears to have belonged to Nicholas T. Rafael Jr., the now-former treasurer of the New York Young Republican Club. Three former members of the club confirmed Rafael’s connection to the account, which years ago posted to a Vine account tied to his name and appeared to be followed by nearly a dozen current members of the club as well as the club’s official X account and its Queens caucus account. When reached by phone, Rafael denied that the social-media account was his. He also suggested over email that the picture of him in Nazi regalia was “obviously doctored.” A lawyer representing the NYYRC also denied that the club had any association with the account but noted that it was “investigating” the photograph. In recent years, the club’s choices in leadership, programming, and endorsements appear to show a sharp shift toward far-right politics, and according to former members of the club, the driving force has been Stefano Forte, a Queens native elected president of the NYYRC in 2025. One former NYYRC board member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said that Forte had cultivated an edgelord atmosphere within the club, where members freely voiced aggressive Groyper-style political views. Another former member who served in its leadership said Forte was responsible for turning it into a “den of incels” who mistakenly believed their brand of racist, misogynist politics has a sizable constituency. Nathan Taylor Pemberton investigates the in-fighting and controversy plaguing the New York Young Republican Club: https://t.co/9rqszn9gCD