UMVA has learned that explosive comments made by Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, have sparked outrage and raised serious questions about his fitness for office.
Platner described the United States Army as "absolute trash" and "full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not be in uniform" in now-deleted posts on his Reddit account. These incendiary remarks have ignited a firestorm of controversy in the Maine Senate race, where Platner is seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Platner’s posts included a scathing 2019 comment about wounded Army veteran Teddy Daniels, who was shot by the Taliban and later awarded the Purple Heart. Platner callously criticized Daniels’ battlefield tactics and wrote that the "dumb motherf---er didn’t deserve to live."
Platner’s commentary has attracted criticism from some veterans, who say his behavior is unbecoming of a military veteran. Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, condemned Platner’s remarks, saying "We don't make jokes about our brothers and sisters dying, that's not something we do, that's not normal."
Platner served in the Marine Corps and the Maryland Army National Guard, completing multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. While he praised certain units and acknowledged the Army's strengths, his harsh criticism of the Army has raised eyebrows.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Platner has attempted to attribute his behavior to psychological trauma developed from being deployed to the Middle East, as well as the "crude humor" he had gotten used to while in the Marines. However, his apology has done little to quell the outrage.
In a 2024 podcast interview, Platner made further incendiary comments, implying that deceased Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed civilians to inflate his numbers. Platner’s vicious attacks on wounded service members and open contempt for the Army have sparked widespread condemnation.
The controversy surrounding Platner’s comments has led to questions about his suitability for office and why his top Democrat allies, such as Elizabeth Warren, ever supported him in the first place. As the Maine Senate race heats up, Platner’s campaign will face intense scrutiny over his past behavior.
