Nazi Tattoo Scandal Shakes Dems – OUTRAGE!

Maine’s Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is carrying baggage that would end most political careers — a chest tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, deleted Reddit posts mocking a Purple Heart recipient, and a refusal to fully apologize.

Story Highlights

Platner admitted to a chest tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, claiming he got it nearly 20 years ago and has since covered it up.
Deleted Reddit posts linked to Platner included a comment calling Purple Heart recipient Ted Daniels “dumb” and saying he “didn’t deserve to live” — a remark Platner refused to apologize for when asked directly.
Senator John Fetterman publicly called Platner “an a**hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest,” signaling rare and damaging intra-party criticism.
Maine Democrats were reported as “largely silent” on calls for Platner to withdraw, leaving the controversy unresolved within the party.

The Tattoo Platner Can’t Fully Escape

Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, confirmed to the Associated Press that he has covered a tattoo on his chest that was widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner said he got the tattoo nearly 20 years ago and later modified it so it no longer displays the image. His explanation — that he didn’t fully understand the symbol’s meaning when he got it — has done little to quiet the political firestorm surrounding his candidacy.

A developing report from local Maine outlet WGME suggests Platner may have been aware for years that his tattoo resembled a Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol before covering it up, directly challenging his claim of ignorance. ^[3] That reporting adds a harder edge to what Platner framed as an old, uninformed mistake. For voters already skeptical of Democratic candidates, the combination of the symbol itself and the timeline of concealment raises serious questions about judgment and transparency that a simple “I didn’t know” doesn’t fully answer.

Reddit Posts and a Veteran He Refused to Respect

Beyond the tattoo, Platner faced scrutiny over a now-deleted Reddit account that he admitted was his. He apologized for some past remarks, attributing them to anger, intoxication, and post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service. ^[2] However, the most damaging post — one in which he called Ted Daniels, a Purple Heart recipient, “dumb” and said Daniels “didn’t deserve to live” — drew a starkly different response. When asked directly whether he would apologize for that comment, Platner refused. ^[1]

That refusal is the kind of moment that defines a candidacy. Daniels earned a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat — the kind of sacrifice most Americans across the political spectrum hold in the highest regard. Platner’s decision to stand by that comment, rather than walk it back, suggests either a troubling lack of remorse or a political calculation that misfired badly. Either way, it hands critics a concrete, unambiguous data point about his character that no amount of spin can neutralize.

Even Fellow Democrats Are Calling Him Out

The controversy crossed party lines when Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania publicly unloaded on Platner, calling him “an a**hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest.” ^[1] That kind of blunt intra-party condemnation is rare and politically significant — it signals that the issue isn’t just Republican opposition research but a genuine character concern recognized by members of Platner’s own party. Fetterman, himself a populist Democrat with working-class appeal, clearly saw no political cost in distancing himself sharply from Platner.

Democrat Senate Candidate Graham Platner had a Nazi-symbol tattoo controversy.

Deleted Reddit posts.

Anti-police rants.

Communist branding.

Now he is accused of mocking a Purple Heart recipient shot 4 times in Afghanistan.

And the 28 Democratic veterans in Congress? Silent. pic.twitter.com/clcs5Cq9Wq

— Mehek Cooke🇺🇸 (@MehekCooke) May 21, 2026

Despite the bipartisan criticism and mounting media coverage, Maine Democrats were reported as “largely silent” on calls for Platner to step aside, and withdrawal calls went unheeded. ^[1] That silence is its own statement. When a party declines to act on credible evidence of extremist symbolism and mocking a decorated combat veteran, it raises legitimate questions about whether winning a Senate seat matters more to party leadership than the values they claim to champion. Maine voters now face a stark choice heading into the election.