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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner has denied being a “secret Nazi” after video emerged of him with a tattoo on his chest which resembles the Totenkopf, or “death’s head,” a symbol adopted by the SS.
Platner told Newsweek he had no idea the tattoo had Nazi associations when he had it done
"I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that—and to insinuate that I did is disgusting," he told Newsweek. "I am already planning to get this removed."
Why It Matters
Platner, 41, is standing in the Democratic primary for the right to face Republican Senator Susan Collins at the 2026 midterm elections. Maine backed Kamala Harris by around seven points in November 2024 and Collins is widely regarded as one of the most vulnerable Republican senators.
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Democrats are hoping to seize control of the Senate in November 2026, a move that would significantly impede President Donald Trump’s ability to enforce his policy agenda.
The revelation about Platner’s tattoo could impact his popularity with Democratic primary voters and comes after controversial posts he made on Reddit were revealed by several media publications.
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What To Know
Platner, a former U.S. Marine who has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, was interviewed by former Barack Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor on the popular Pod Save America podcast.
During the interview Vietor played a clip of Platner serenading his sister-in-law with Miley Cyrus’ "Wrecking Ball’ during her wedding a decade ago wile wearing only his underpants. In the video Platner has a skull and crossbones tattoo, which resembles the Totenkopf, on his chest. According to the Anti-Deformation League the Totenkopf was adopted by the SS and was particularly associated with the SS-Totenkopfverbande, which was responsible for guarding concentration camps.
Platner said he had got the tattoo in Split, Croatia, in 2007 while on leave with a group of fellow Marines commenting: “We got very inebriated and we did what Marines on liberty do and we decided to go get a tattoo.
Vietor said the video had been provided by Platner’s team, with the Senate hopeful saying he had “got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo.”
“And we went to a tattoo parlor in Split, Croatia, and we chose a terrifying looking skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines and, you know, skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing, and we got those tattoos and then we all moved on with our lives.”
The U.S. military has a policy that checks for extremist, racist and sexist tattoos. Platner said he had never tried to hide his tattoo and had passed security clearance to join the army national guard after leaving the Marines and later for the state department when he worked as security detail for the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.
He insisted “I am not a secret Nazi” adding: “Actually if you read through my Reddit comments I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general, I would say a life-long opponent.”
Pod Save America shared a clip of the exchange via X on Tuesday where it went viral, receiving over 1.2 million views.
Earlier this month Platner was embroiled in controversy when CNN reported since deleted Reddit posts he made, dating back to 2021. In one post Platner said he “became older and became a communist” while in another he replied “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are” after somebody suggested white people “aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks.”
In further Reddit posts attributed to Platner by publications including Politico, The Washington Post, The Hill, and the Bangor Daily News he said Black people usually only tip “between 0-5%” and referring to underwear designed to prevent sexual assault in 2013 said people should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f***** up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”
Speaking to Politico about the posts Platner said: “I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired s*** poster.”
What People Are Saying
Speaking to Newsweek, Platner said: "It was not until I started hearing from reporters and D.C. insiders that I realized this tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol. I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that—and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed**.**
“When I was in my early 20s during my third deployment, the other Machine Gun squad leaders who survived Ramadi and I were in Croatia on libo. We were out drinking and decided to get a tattoo to commemorate surviving Ramadi. We chose a skull and crossbones off the wall at the tattoo parlor.
“In the nearly 20 years since, this hasn’t come up. I enlisted in the Army, which involved a full physical that examines tattoos for hate symbols. I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the Ambassador to Afghanistan’s security detail."
Genevieve McDonald, a former state representative who resigned as Platner’s political director over his Reddit posts, responded to the tattoo revelation on X, formerly Twitter.
She said: “Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest. He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff. Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.
“His campaign released it themselves to some podcast bros, along with a video of him shirtless and drunk to a wedding to try to get ahead of it.”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen what impact the tattoo revelation will have on Platner’s Senate campaign. As Democrats are hoping to take Collins’ seat in November 2026 anything that detracts from this is likely to be seen as a blow by the party.
Update 10/22/25, 10:08 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comment from Graham Platner.
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