Graham Platner deleted a slew of incendiary, insulting social media posts. In those posts, he attacked police officers as bastards, called a Maine police chief 'trash' for not bending the knee to BLM, called himself a communist, and smeared rural White Americans as 'racist' and 'stupid.' He also told women they needed to act like adults to avoid being sexually assaulted.
He's also the guy who had the Nazi tattoo on his chest for years, specifically the Totenkopf, a skull and bones symbol adopted by Hitler’s Schutzstaffel (SS). He covered it up only after decided to run for the Senate and he blamed his military service for not only that offensive ink, but his social media posts as well.
But, once again, the supposed humble oyster farmer once was signing a different tune on PTSD, calling it a 'bulls*** excuse' for inappropriate behavior.
Maine Senate candidate Platner dismissed PTSD as 'bull----' excuse for bad behavior in 2020 — now cites his own PTSD to explain years of incendiary posts pic.twitter.com/xOjU6OoZoE
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) May 13, 2026
Democrat Graham Platner has leaned into his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to explain a bevy of incendiary social media posts prior to his Senate run in which he justified political violence and insulted law enforcement.
But the progressive darling suggested PTSD and the trauma from multiple combat deployments are not an excuse for offensive behavior in a since-deleted post obtained by Fox News Digital.
Platner, 41, made the comment on the Reddit forum r/SocialistRA in 2020, five years before emerging as a potent challenger to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November’s midterm elections.
Using a handle that did not identify him, Platner criticized a report in the Portland Press Herald about two former police officers who admitted to killing porcupines with their batons while on duty. One officer, a Marine veteran who was deployed to Afghanistan, attributed his actions to PTSD from his overseas deployment.
"Don’t buy into that bulls---. I did 4 tours in the infantry to Iraq and Afghanistan, saw all kinds of awful things, have a PTSD diagnosis and STILL manage not to beat defenseless animals to death for fun," Platner, a Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, wrote in a social media post.
"That’s just cops giving excuses for their garbage behavior," he added.
It's clear that Platner, and his fellow Democrats, think his bad behavior is (D)ifferent.
— Rob Smithson (@RobSmithson6) May 13, 2026
Bingo.
If Democrats didn't have double standards, they wouldn't have any standards at all.
— Sam Armstrong (@SamStrongTalks) May 13, 2026
Their one standard is this: they want power.
They'll do whatever it takes to obtain and keep that power. Even if it means spending years calling Republicans Nazis, only to turn around and wholeheartedly endorse the guy with the Nazi tattoo.
Herr Oystergrappenfuhrer has a 100% VA Disability that includes PTSD https://t.co/MAKFRsDnPS
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) May 14, 2026
He only said PTSD was 'bulls***' to attack law enforcement, which he does frequently.
Doesn't he just reek of authenticity https://t.co/AeSyprQi0g
— Boo (@IzaBooboo) May 14, 2026
So authentic.
Graham Platner's entire campaign is a walking contradiction. https://t.co/SNtZIwDnl2
— Maine GOP (@mainegop) May 13, 2026
That it is.
You have to understand. Back in 2020 he didn't have a team of professional handlers working constantly to polish his image. https://t.co/BDKXtql1pC
— Ornery (@OrneryThe8th) May 14, 2026
Imagine how he'll govern as part of the Senate if he can change his mind on issues to suit his campaign needs and pursuit of power? Maine voters deserve to have a Senator who doesn't talk out of both sides of his mouth.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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