Nazi Tattoo Scandal: Shocking Candidate Exposed

German flags at the Reichstag building in Berlin.

conservativefreepress.com — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is fighting to stay in a race after revelations about a Nazi-linked chest tattoo and deleted Reddit posts — including a vicious attack on a Purple Heart recipient — have drawn condemnation from his own party.

Story Highlights

Platner admits to having a chest tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he says he got nearly 20 years ago and has since covered up.
Deleted Reddit posts linked to Platner include a comment calling Purple Heart recipient Ted Daniels “dumb” and saying he “didn’t deserve to live” — a statement 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 the controversy has fractured his own party.
Democrats were described as “largely silent” on calls for Platner to withdraw, leaving the scandal unresolved heading into the Maine Senate race.

A Nazi Symbol, a Cover-Up, and a Campaign in Crisis

Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine, confirmed to the Associated Press that he had a tattoo on his chest that he covered so it would “no longer reflect an image widely recognized as a Nazi symbol.” Platner claims he got the tattoo nearly 20 years ago and says he did not know its meaning at the time. The image has been compared to the SS Totenkopf, a skull-and-crossbones symbol used by Nazi SS units — one of the most recognizable icons of the Third Reich.

New reporting from WGME suggests Platner may have been aware for years that his tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol, directly undercutting his claim of ignorance. ^[3] He covered the tattoo in November 2023, meaning many voters only learned of it through media coverage rather than seeing it firsthand. His explanation — that he was young, possibly intoxicated, and unaware of the symbol’s meaning — has satisfied neither critics nor members of his own party, and the controversy has become a defining issue in the race.

Reddit Posts Reveal Attacks on a Decorated Veteran

Beyond the tattoo, a cache of now-deleted Reddit posts linked to Platner has compounded the damage. Platner admitted to owning the Reddit account and apologized for some past remarks, attributing others to post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service and alcohol use at the time of posting. ^[2] However, the most damaging entry in the record involves Ted Daniels, a Purple Heart recipient. Platner reportedly called Daniels “dumb” and wrote that he “didn’t deserve to live.” When asked directly whether he would apologize for those comments, Platner refused. ^[1]

That refusal has proven politically costly. Attacking a decorated combat veteran — especially one who earned a Purple Heart — cuts against the military-service image Platner has tried to project as a former Marine. The deleted posts were not recovered through a comprehensive archive, and because they were removed before the controversy broke, the evidentiary record relies on reporting and secondhand accounts rather than preserved screenshots with full thread context. ^[1] Still, Platner’s own admission that the account was his removes any question of authorship.

Democrats Break Ranks as Party Stays Largely Silent

The most striking political development is the intra-party rupture the scandal has produced. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania did not mince words, publicly calling Platner “an a**hole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest.” ^[1] That kind of direct condemnation from a prominent Democrat signals that the controversy is not simply a Republican opposition-research campaign — it is a genuine liability that members of Platner’s own coalition find disqualifying.

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 criticism, Democratic Party leadership in Maine was described as “largely silent,” with calls for Platner to withdraw going unheeded. ^[1] That silence is its own problem. Voters watching their party fail to act decisively on a candidate with a Nazi-linked tattoo and a refusal to apologize for wishing death on a Purple Heart recipient will reasonably question the party’s standards. For Maine voters weighing character and judgment in a Senate race, the combination of an extremist symbol, offensive online speech, and selective remorse presents a picture that Platner’s campaign has yet to credibly address.