The facade of the Democratic Party’s chosen candidate, Graham Platner, is crumbling into dust, revealing a troubling pattern of sympathy for and association with some of history’s most vile iconography. It is a damning indictment of the modern left that such a individual was ever considered a viable standard-bearer for their values, until they were caught.
The campaign’s implosion was signaled by the abrupt departure of his campaign manager, Kevin Brown, who fled the sinking ship after a mere four days on the job. While Brown offered a thin excuse about a new baby on the way, stating, “Graham is a dear friend. I started this campaign Tuesday but found out Friday we have a baby on the way,” the timing is undeniably convenient. His subsequent claim that “Graham deserves someone who is 100% in on his race and we want to lean into this new experience as a family, so it was best we step back sooner than later so Graham can get the manager he deserves,” rings hollow against the cacophony of a burgeoning scandal. This is not a departure; it is a desertion from a campaign poisoned at its root.
The heart of this scandal is not a simple youthful indiscretion, but a deeply ingrained and repeatedly defended fascination with Nazi symbolism that Platner has desperately tried to conceal from the voting public. His initial attempt at damage control was a pathetic tale of getting a tattoo of a skull-and-crossbones “while drunk” nearly two decades ago, which he now feigns to acknowledge bore a “disturbing resemblance” to the Nazi SS Totenkopf. This feeble excuse, designed to paint him as a reckless youth rather than an informed admirer, was completely obliterated by the investigative work of CNN’s KFile. They unearthed deleted Reddit posts from 2019 where Platner, under his handle “P-Hustle,” was not ignorant of the symbol’s meaning, but was actively discussing and defending it. This was not a drunk teenager; this was a grown man, a Marine veteran, engaging in online discourse about the very Nazi emblem permanently inked on his body.
The uncovered evidence paints a picture of a man who has repeatedly acted as an apologist for the use of Nazi imagery within military circles, demonstrating a moral blindness that should be disqualifying for any public office. In one thread from 2019, Platner weighed in on a conversation about the “Totenkopf” — the skull-and-crossbones emblem worn by Nazi SS units that his own tattoo would later draw scrutiny for resembling — to note that many US service members had adopted similar imagery, such as the Punisher skull used by some Navy SEALs. This is a classic tactic of moral equivocation, attempting to muddy the waters by comparing a universally recognized symbol of genocidal hatred to a comic book character.
Even more egregious were his comments from a 2020 online discussion, where the future Democratic Senate hopeful argued that “SS” lightning-bolt tattoos were a “culture” marker within Marine Scout Sniper units, not an expression of White supremacist ideology. When confronted by commenters who correctly identified the lightning bolts as a Nazi symbol, Platner arrogantly dismissed the criticism. He wrote that outsiders “have no idea what they’re talking about” and added, “I will be sure to inform the Black guys I know with bolts that they’re Nazis now.” This smug, dismissive response showcases a man utterly unwilling to confront the horrific historical weight of the symbols he defends, hiding behind a shield of identity politics to shut down legitimate criticism.
Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps.
I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn't deeply offensive to my core beliefs.
I am very sorry to all of you who had to… pic.twitter.com/RQSiRsrTiC
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) October 22, 2025
This entire sordid affair stands in stark contrast to the strong, America-first leadership championed by President Donald J. Trump. President Trump has consistently stood with our allies, like Israel, and has been a vocal defender of Western values against the forces of hatred and anti-Semitism that the left so often coddles. The Democratic Party, which pretends to hold the moral high ground, is once again exposed as a haven for those with radical and deeply un-American sympathies, who only disavow them when they are dragged into the light. The swift collapse of Platner’s campaign is a testament to the fact that the American people see through this charade and reject the double standards and hidden agendas of the left. They recognize that true strength and moral clarity comes from leaders like President Trump, who have always been unwavering in their support for our nation’s values and our brave military, without resorting to excuses for the darkest chapters of human history.