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Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the Senate in Maine, described the United States Army as “absolute trash” and “fat, lazy trash who would rather be out of uniform” in posts on his now-deleted Reddit account.
“I spent 4 more in the Army after the Corps, and while I was very fortunate to work in some hot units and some good ones, the organization as a whole is complete garbage,” wrote Platner in April 2019. “I’m not a bad person at all in the Army. It has square fighting units and good guys, and a warrine is here or there. The ethos and leadership that the Corps has, and it usually attracts a low level of people.”
The resurfaced post includes a separate 2019 comment about wounded Army veteran Teddy Daniels, who was shot by the Taliban and later awarded a Purple Heart. In that post, Platner criticized Daniels’ tactics on the battlefield and wrote that “the dumb mother —er didn’t deserve to live.”
Platner’s comments about Daniels and other now-deleted Reddit posts — including a post in which he used a profanity, denigrated white rural Americans and identified himself as a Marxist — became a major campaign issue in the Maine Senate race, where he is seeking to unseat GOP incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.
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Senator Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 15, 2025. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)
Platner served in the Marine Corps and the Maryland Army National Guard, where he completed multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is common for members of one branch of the movement to harshly criticize other branches.
“The military does things differently, and as a whole, they do terrible things,” Platner wrote in March 2019. “As an organization it’s terrible. It’s full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not wear a uniform.”
Platner wasn’t the only negative, as he praised the Army for having “bright newbies, awareness, and hot — hot SOF units, and access to some good schools.”
He also spoke publicly about the need for internal criticism in the military.
“Citizens can be as dumb f–k ret—ed as they want, but WE have a duty to be brutally honest,” Platner wrote in 2013. “I want the citizens to think that our ability to fight is unmatched, but I also want us to be brutal in our internal criticism.”
Graham Platner, a member of the Democratic Alliance in the US Senate, speaks at a news conference Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Lewiston, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
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The Washington Free Beacon first reported Platner’s disparaging comments directed at the Army.
The post was made under the Reddit account “P-Hustle,” which Platner has previously acknowledged as his own.
“I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s completely out of character,” Platner said of his Reddit post back in October. “I don’t want you to judge me by the stupid thing I wrote on the internet. I would rather people judge me by the person I am today.”
Graham Platner, a US Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, launched a Democratic race for the US Senate in Maine in August. (Graham Platner campaign)
In 2019, Platner responded to a video of an American soldier being shot by the Taliban by saying “the dumb mother —er didn’t deserve to live.” Platner’s post criticized the soldier, who was later awarded the Purple Heart, for using inappropriate tactics.
The Senate’s comments drew criticism from some veterans.
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“We don’t joke about the death of our brothers and sisters, that’s not what we do, that’s not normal,” said Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran who is running for the Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, Platner said.
Graham Platner, left, pictured next to Seni. Susan Collins, R-Maine, right. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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Platner attributes his behavior to the psychological trauma he suffered from being deployed to the Middle East, as well as the “crude humor” he was accustomed to while in the Marines.
The Senate’s controversial statements about the military didn’t end on Reddit.
In a 2024 podcast interview, Platner revealed that deceased Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed civilians to add to his numbers.
“[Kyle’s] the stories about how many people they were shooting certainly tracked the behavior I saw,” said Platner. “It’s easier to get high numbers like that if you’re less discriminating in your fire than, say, a professional unit would be.”
He also accused the Navy SEALs of incompetence on his Reddit account, although he had kind words for the Army Rangers.
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“Graham Platner’s vicious attacks on wounded service members and disrespect for the military are disgusting and disqualifying,” National Republican Senatorial Committee press secretary Bernadette Breslin told Fox News Digital. “The more we learn about him, the more his top Democratic allies like Elizabeth Warren are forced to dodge questions about why they ever supported him in the first place.”
Platner’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Thursday.
