{"id":2501908,"date":"2025-10-22T13:38:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maine-senate-candidate-says-he-covered-up-nazi-tied-skull-tattoo\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:39:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T17:39:55","slug":"maine-senate-candidate-says-he-covered-up-nazi-tied-skull-tattoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maine-senate-candidate-says-he-covered-up-nazi-tied-skull-tattoo\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Senate candidate says he covered up Nazi-tied skull tattoo"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmaine-senate-candidate-says-he-covered-up-nazi-tied-skull-tattoo%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2501908&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Maine Democratic senate candidate Graham Platner has publicly acknowledged that he covered up a large <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/photos-after-falsely-accusing-hegseth-of-nazi-tattoo-dems-embrace-man-with-real-nazi-white-supremacist-tattoo-for-senate\/\" title=\"Photos: After Falsely Accusing Hegseth of Nazi ..., Dems Embrace Man With Real Nazi, White Supremacist ... for Senate\">chest tattoo<\/a> featuring a Nazi Totenkopf (skull and crossbones) symbol, which is associated with Adolf Hitler&#8217;s SS paramilitary units. Platner explained that he got the tattoo in 2007 while heavily intoxicated as a Marine on leave and claimed he was unaware of its Nazi connotations at the time. He has since replaced it with a Celtic knot design to better reflect his current values, especially his connection to nature and animals. Despite the controversy, Platner has denied being a secret Nazi and expressed regret over the tattoo. The revelation has sparked backlash, including the resignation of his campaign&#8217;s political director, alongside criticism of old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media posts<\/a> where Platner described himself as a &#8220;communist&#8221; and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/platner-denies-hes-secret-nazi-after-ss-skull-tattoo-revealed\/\" title=\"... denies he&#039;s &#039;...&#039; after ... ... ... revealed\">psychedelics taking socialist<\/a>.&#8221; Nonetheless, prominent figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and several labor unions continue to support his Senate bid against Governor Janet Mills in the 2026 primary. Platner and Sanders have discussed the issue, with Sanders characterizing the attacks on Platner as politically motivated.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Maine Senate candidate Platner announces he covered up Nazi-tied skull tattoo<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2377740\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Maine<\/a> Democratic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate<\/a> candidate Graham Platner revealed in an interview published Wednesday that he has covered up his large chest tattoo of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nazis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nazi<\/a> skull and crossbones symbol.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been covered up with some kind of Celtic knot with a dog on it, because that&rsquo;s far more in line with my opinions about nature and animals now than my connection to the violence that I partook in when I was a young man,&rdquo; Platner told <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/story\/graham-platner-nazi-tattoo-interview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vanity Fair<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3859266\/gop-super-pac-roy-cooper-crime-charlotte-train-stabbing-two-month-anniversary\/\">GOP super PAC attacks Roy Cooper over crime on Charlotte train stabbing two-month anniversary<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3858840\/maine-senate-graham-platner-nazi-tattoo\/\">Maine Senate hopeful Platner denies he&#8217;s &#8216;secret Nazi&#8217; after SS skull tattoo revealed<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3858811\/bernie-sanders-stands-embattled-maine-senate-graham-platner\/\">Bernie Sanders stands by embattled Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In recent days, the Senate hopeful has faced scrutiny after a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Bubblebathgirl\/status\/1980994834526847434\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">video emerged<\/a> showing a Totenkopf tattoo on his breast. The Totenkopf, which is German for &ldquo;death&rsquo;s head,&rdquo; is best known as the symbol of Adolf Hitler&rsquo;s SS, the paramilitary group that was responsible for the Nazi regime&rsquo;s worst crimes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A recently surfaced video shows Maine Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner with a chest tattoo of the SS Totenkopf, the skull-and-crossbones emblem used by Nazi &ldquo;Death&rsquo;s Head&rdquo; units. <\/p>\n<p>Platner has stated he got the tattoo while drunk as a young Marine on shore leave in&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/euH926eTgA\">pic.twitter.com\/euH926eTgA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Maine State Press (@MaineStatePress) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MaineStatePress\/status\/1980571326747140493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Platner previously revealed he got the tattoo when he was &ldquo;very inebriated&rdquo; while on leave in Croatia as a Marine in 2007. He denied he&rsquo;s some sort of &ldquo;secret Nazi,&rdquo; claiming he was unaware of the symbol&rsquo;s ties to Nazism until recently.<\/p>\n<p>In the interview with <em>Vanity Fair<\/em>, Platner regretted getting the tattoo.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want this on my body if that&rsquo;s how people see it. But for 20 years, I&rsquo;ve had it, and I&rsquo;ve been taking my shirt off in the gym and living my life with this thing, and it&rsquo;s never come up,&rdquo; the progressive oyster farmer said, while defending his decision at the time.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Skull and crossbones motifs are popular amongst military units,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re still popular today amongst military units around the world. I have seen a similar skull and crossbones on French Foreign Legion guys that I served next to in Afghanistan. I&rsquo;ve seen a very similar one on unit T-shirts from other American military units. I&rsquo;ve always viewed it as a skull and crossbones tied to combat units.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Platner is also experiencing backlash over old <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >resurfaced social media posts<\/a> on Reddit, where he called himself a &ldquo;communist&rdquo; and a &ldquo;psychedelics taking socialist.&rdquo; The controversy led to the resignation of his campaign&rsquo;s political director, Genevieve McDonald.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) and at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3851908\/uaw-joins-unions-backing-oyster-farmer-graham-platner-over-janet-mills-maine-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">three major labor unions<\/a> are backing Platner over Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME), who entered the 2026 primary race to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) last week. Sanders intends to continue supporting the political newcomer in spite of the recent controversies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I personally think he is an excellent candidate. I&rsquo;m going to support him, and I look forward to him becoming the next senator in the state of Maine,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3858811\/bernie-sanders-stands-embattled-maine-senate-graham-platner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told reporters<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Platner revealed he spoke with Sanders since the news broke about his tattoo and past remarks.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3858840\/maine-senate-graham-platner-nazi-tattoo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MAINE SENATE HOPEFUL PLATNER DENIES HE&rsquo;S &lsquo;SECRET NAZI&rsquo; AFTER SS SKULL TATTOO REVEALED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I spoke with him the other day. He understands that this is a hit job,&rdquo; the progressive candidate said. &ldquo;He knows that they&rsquo;re coming after me with everything they&rsquo;ve got. He understands that I am not a secret Nazi. I have an entirely open and easily accessible life for anyone to look at to know that that is not true.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of War <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pete Hegseth<\/a> faced a similar controversy over his Jerusalem cross tattoo earlier this year when Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about its ties to right-wing extremist groups. Hegseth maintained the tattoo was merely a Christian symbol during his Senate confirmation hearing, while also pointing out the same symbol was seen on the floor of the Washington National Cathedral during former President Jimmy Carter&rsquo;s funeral.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine Senate candidate Platner covers Nazi skull tattoo<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2501909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25293626326255_88b130.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65692,34069,54092,65674,36160],"class_list":["post-2501908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-candidate-scandal","tag-election-news","tag-maine-senate","tag-nazi-tattoo","tag-political-controversy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25293626326255_88b130.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2501908"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2501912,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501908\/revisions\/2501912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2501909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2501908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2501908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2501908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}