Bob Dylan once asked, “How does it feel?” For Vice President JD Vance and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the answer may be uncomfortable. The Republican Party’s growing comfort with racial politics is forcing both men to confront a party where racism is not only tolerated but often rewarded.
Ramaswamy’s primary opponent, Casey Putsch, released a video asking, “Hey, Vivek, you want to play Cowboys versus Indians?” before firing a gun. Putsch also called Ramaswamy an “anchor baby” because he was born to Indian immigrants. Yet Ramaswamy himself has played racial politics, calling for an end to birthright citizenship and claiming he has never met a white supremacist. “Never seen one, I’ve never met one in my life,” he said.
This pattern of excusing or ignoring racism has become standard in the Trump-era GOP. Vance, eyeing a 2028 presidential run, faces similar headwinds. White nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes routinely mocks both Ramaswamy and Usha Vance with racial slurs targeting South Asian heritage, calling them “jeets.” Fuentes has already vowed to sabotage Vance in the Iowa caucuses.
A December 2025 Manhattan Institute poll found that among Republicans under 50, a disturbing 31% openly express racist views, and 25% admit to antisemitic statements. This is a far cry from the party of Lincoln, Jacob Javitz, and Everett Dirksen. George W. Bush reauthorized the Voting Rights Act and appointed Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice to top posts. Today’s MAGA party, as political analysts note, has two types of members: racists and those willing to pretend racism doesn’t exist. The shift toward “Republican socialism” under Trump has only deepened these divides.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority recently ruled that states can dismantle majority-Black congressional districts, claiming “vast social change” since 1965. The New York Times editorial board warned the ruling gives “white voters more power at the expense of racial minorities.” Several Republican legislatures in the South are already acting on this. The NAACP called it “a direct attack on our democracy.”
Racist text groups involving young Republican operatives have surfaced, with members mocking Jews and calling Black people “watermelon people.” The scandal forced the New York State Republican Party to dissolve its Young Republicans chapter. Some GOP lawmakers are now defying Trump on other issues, but on race, the party remains unified.
Sen. Rand Paul’s son allegedly launched a “10-minute diatribe about Jews” at Rep. Mike Lawler, saying “he hates Jews and hates gays and doesn’t care if they die.” Lawler, an Irish-Italian Catholic, was mistaken for Jewish. The outburst stemmed from a primary fight where Rep. Thomas Massie attacked an opponent for taking donations from Jewish billionaire Paul Singer, overlaying a Star of David with a Pride flag. Singer is a prominent GOP donor and gay rights advocate because his son is gay.
Vance and Ramaswamy may echo Trump’s opposition to diversity initiatives, but they are not getting a pass from the party’s racist fringe. As the GOP heads toward 2028, the question Dylan posed remains: How does it feel?
