Graham Platner’s deleted Reddit post mocking wounded soldier sparks outrage

Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s deleted Reddit account has continued to cause headaches for his campaign in recent months, and a recently resurfaced post appearing to mock a U.S. soldier nearly killed in combat is stirring more controversy.

“This video never gets old,” the Reddit account “P-Hustle” – which Platner acknowledged owning – posted in June 2019, referring to a viral video of the FPC helmet camera. Ted Daniels caught in a confrontation with Taliban fighters in 2012 that resulted in Daniels being shot four times. He received a Purple Heart for his injuries.

“He’s a stupid fucking bastard who didn’t deserve to live. At least his stupidity and wheezing are available to all future infantrymen who can witness and despise them. The Taliban’s poor marksmanship is the only reason this breather came home, he managed to make every shitty decision possible when it comes to small unit combat.”

The post has been deleted but can be found on the Maine Monitor Database from Platner’s deleted Reddit history.

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Maine Democratic senatorial candidate Graham Platner is facing new criticism over his deleted Reddit history. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Daniels said in later interviews that he deliberately moved outward to deflect fire from the other men in his unit, and although he expressed embarrassment and said “tactically” it was “not a good thing to do,” ultimately, “I put my a– on the line for the other guys.”

Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is drawing criticism over the deleted post from a variety of sources ranging from the Internet to the National Republican Senatorial Committee to a former Marine who spoke to Fox News Digital.

“We don’t make jokes about the deaths of our brothers and sisters, that’s not something we do, that’s not normal,” Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, said of Platner mocking a fellow soldier on social media during an open forum.

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Schwarze acknowledged that Marines can sometimes have a “dark” sense of humor and give each other a hard time about tactics when speaking in private, but said Platner’s message was something different.

“We do not post about our brothers wounded in battle.”

Schwarze also took issue with posts from Platner’s account related to law enforcement, including that “all police officers are bastards”given that a large number of law enforcement personnel are former active duty military personnel.

“I think it’s very dangerous to say, ‘Hey, that’s how veterans think and talk,’ because it’s just not true. I’ve served 21 years, nine deployments, I don’t know a single veteran who makes comments like cops are bastards.”

Schwarze said he believed Platner had “mental problems.”

“I feel bad for him. I think he should get help. He deserves help given his time at the bottom, his PTSD and his mental health issues, but he definitely shouldn’t run for the United States Senate.”

NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell added, “Anyone who mocks American soldiers who gave their lives for freedom and encourages terrorists has no place in the United States Senate. »

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Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, hosts an energy event in Ellsworth, Maine, Monday, May 11, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“That’s what Platner thinks of his fellow Americans at war,” said journalist Magdi Jacobs, who was the first to post the deleted entry on social media. written the. “If they’re not good at killing or using broader tactics, he looks down on them. He shows no empathy. Quite the contrary.”

Fox News Digital has contacted the Platner campaign for comment.

Platner, a first-time candidate backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has previously responded to questions on his social posts by saying he was joking.

“You should read the comments in context. It’s very clear, just kidding,” he previously told Fox News Digital when asked about other comments. “It’s called s—posting. It’s when you argue with people on the Internet and try to upset them. So, yeah, no, that’s obviously not true.”

Other positions Platner was questioned about, including in a recent interview with the New York Times cited a 2013 article, which Platner later deleted, that said people concerned about rape shouldn’t “feel so screwed that they end up having sex with someone they don’t want to.”

Platner has also faced scrutiny for more recent posts on Reddit, including one from five years ago in which he described himself as “communist” and “socialist”. Additionally, Platner’s messages contained allegations homophobic insults and praising the military tactics used by Hamas.

Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after his rival for the nomination, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polls and fundraising.

Platner will try to defeat five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall in a closely watched race that could have a significant impact on the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.