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With Straight Face, Trump Says Platner 'Worse Than Any Human Being That's Ever Run for Office, Probably'
The president has been convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying documents as well as being found guilty of fraud, sexual abuse, and defamation. While in office he's given massive tax giveaways to billionaires, opened the gates for corporate polluters, and made enriching himself and his family a top priority.
Jun 10, 2026
Four months after President Donald Trump's name reportedly appeared over a million times in long-hidden files related to his former friend, convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, and weeks after one analysis warned that his foreign aid cuts will likely kill 9 million people by the end of the decade, the president announced Wednesday that he'd identified the politician who is "probably" the worst person to ever run for public office.
In the Oval Office, Trump declared Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner, whom Maine primary voters chose to run in the general election by more than a 52% margin, a "thug" and a "cheap, no-good person," adding that he is "worse than any human being that's ever run for office, probably."
"Nobody's ever had a record like that... This guy's got a rap sheet, I've never seen anything like it," said the president as he lied about Platner, who has no criminal record.
Trump, meanwhile, was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in 2024. A New York judge also ordered Trump to pay a $450 million civil penalty over financial fraud that year, and in 2023, a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming columnist E. Jean Carroll. More than two dozen women have accused the president of sexual misconduct.
Trump on Platner: "I watched that thug that's up in Maine. He's a thug. And they're trying to make excuses for him. I mean, he's worse than any human being that's ever run for office probably…And you'll have Schumer, he'll go crazy over this or that or Epstein…He's a thug." pic.twitter.com/I9k1MXZOUD
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) June 10, 2026
Trump, who has openly bragged about sexually assaulting women and reportedly committed adultery numerous times during his three marriages, was likely referring to controversies that made headlines after Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer, launched his campaign last year with a focus on taxing billionaires, expanding Medicare to the entire population, and ending US wars.
During his two terms in office, Trump has been rebuked for his allegiance to corporate interests, giving massive tax breaks to billionaires and powerful industries, undermining labor protections, launching wars of choice overseas, attacking public education, and gutting public health and environmental protection efforts.
Recently, a former campaign staffer told news outlets that Platner's wife had confided in her about messages Platner sent to other women early in their marriage. The candidate's former girlfriend, a right-wing operative, also accused him of being physically aggressive during their relationship. Earlier controversies centered on a tattoo that critics said resembled a Nazi symbol and posts he wrote on Reddit in the years after his military service.
Despite the months of criticism and news stories regarding Platner's past, with 91% of votes reported as of Wednesday afternoon, he won the support of more than 71% of Democratic primary voters, with many saying they connected with his strong focus on issues affecting working people and that he had taken accountability for his previous actions.
While attacking Platner on Wednesday, Trump brought up the Epstein scandal, saying Democratic lawmakers "go crazy" over his association with the financier, who died in prison while awaiting a trial on sex-trafficking minors and who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution with a minor.
As Trump hurled insults at Platner, also calling him "an outright pig," the Democratic candidate released an ad taking aim at "the Epstein class," saying that "the only thing the DC establishment can agree on is a love of Jeffrey Epstein—and a hatred of me."
Earlier, the Democratic candidate and so-called "thug" posted a video on social media of a volunteer activity he was taking part in on the morning after the election in Bar Harbor.
"This morning, I'm doing very important things, which is riding on the bike bus," said Platner, evidently taking time off from being what Trump has also referred to as a "major sleaze bag."
"The community gets together and helps ride with all of the kids who want to ride their bikes to school, and so it's safe and fun," he explained.
Good morning, Maine!
Hitting the trail. pic.twitter.com/y2xcbe1Hxi
— Graham Platner for Senate (@grahamformaine) June 10, 2026
"Honestly, it's exactly the thing that we need a lot more of in this country," said Platner, "which is people coming together and realizing that their neighbors are good people, and everybody just wants to help each other out. It's the message we need to take into our politics, which is why we won last night."
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After Landslide Primary Win, Platner Vows to Defeat 'Spineless and Corrupt' Susan Collins
"The truth is, Susan Collins doesn't serve us, she serves Donald Trump," said Platner. "She serves her corporate donors and the corrupt political system that has rigged the economy against us."
Jun 10, 2026
Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer vowing to champion the working class against what he's called the "spineless and corrupt" political establishment, officially became the Democratic Party's nominee in the critical race to unseat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, winning more than 70% of the vote in Tuesday's closely watched primary.
"I love every single one of you, everyone who has shown up at a town hall, who has knocked on a door, who cast their vote—not for me, but for a vision of a life in Maine that you can afford, a life of dignity, and a government that actually serves its people," Platner said in his victory speech. "The truth is, Susan Collins doesn't serve us, she serves Donald Trump. She serves the Epstein class. She serves her corporate donors and the corrupt political system that has rigged the economy against us. She does not serve us, and so we will defeat Susan Collins."
Platner's main primary opponent, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late April as the progressive political newcomer trounced her in polling, fundraising, and enthusiasm. But in the days leading up to Tuesday's contest, Mills reminded Maine voters that she was still on the ballot amid reporting about Platner's past relationships.
Last week, The New York Times published a story in which a Republican operative who dated Platner more than a decade ago accused him of physical abuse—an allegation that the candidate denied categorically.
With more than 80% of ballots tallied in Tuesday's race, Mills has received around 35,100 votes—over 94,000 fewer than Platner.
During his speech late Tuesday in Blue Hill, Maine, Platner accused "national pundits and the political establishment" of "looking for that one story, that one headline, that one moment in my life that they can define the campaign by."
"But in trying so hard to understand me, they fail to understand that this is not about me at all," he said. "This is a movement about us, about the far too many working far too hard in struggling far too much at the hands of the ruling class."
Platner: The national pundits, the political establishment, they keep looking for that one story, that one headline, that one moment in my life that they can define the campaign by. But in trying so hard to understand me, they failed to understand that this is not about me at… pic.twitter.com/BK5Zj4VB7h
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 10, 2026
Platner then turned his attention to Collins, the incumbent Republican senator who is widely characterized as a "moderate" despite her role in destroying Roe v. Wade and advancing President Donald Trump's deeply unpopular agenda. Collins' reelection bid has been backed by a flood of dark money and billionaire donations that are expected to grow in the months ahead.
"Susan Collins may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves," said Platner. "If you are an independent voice, why do you vote with Donald Trump 95% of the time? If you're so bipartisan, why are you the deciding vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court? The deciding vote to defund our healthcare and our hospitals? Why did you rubber stamp the greatest redistribution of wealth from the working class from the working class to the ruling class in the history of our nation?"
"Susan Collins is only bipartisan when it doesn't matter," Platner added.
Progressive supporters of Platner's campaign applauded his victory in Tuesday's primary, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—the first prominent lawmaker to back Platner's Senate bid—declaring that "together, we will defeat oligarchy and create an economy that works for all, not just the few."
Ezra Levin, co-executive director of Indivisible, an advocacy group that endorsed Platner last month, said that Maine voters "have made their voices heard, and they are looking to fight back against special interests and push for new leadership this November."
"This result shows the momentum of voters who are choosing a different path and are looking for new leadership—one that will fight for them, not against them," said Levin. "As we look toward November, we are excited to flip this Senate seat, oust Sen. Susan Collins, and help Graham Platner bring meaningful representation to Maine."
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Calling Attacks on Platner ‘Politics as Usual’, Mainers Say They Have Back of Working-Class Champion
“We’re going to win on Tuesday, and we’re going to win in November, and we’re going to take power back for the people in this country," said the US Senate candidate from Maine.
Jun 08, 2026
At Democratic US Senate candidate Graham Platner's final town hall ahead of Tuesday's primary election in Maine, the combat veteran and oyster farmer received a warm welcome from roughly 400 attendees who appeared eager to focus on the candidate's policy platform and issues affecting working Mainers rather than numerous attacks that have been launched against him in recent months.
Platner walked into a meeting room at an Elks Lodge in Portland, Maine's largest city, to a standing ovation and said, as he had at a rally on Friday with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in Bar Harbor, that Mainers have shown they "have my back."
“We’re going to win on Tuesday, and we’re going to win in November, and we’re going to take power back for the people in this country," he told the crowd.
After speaking for close to an hour about issues including economic inequality, his goal of being "a voice that says no to war" in the US Senate, and his push for Medicare for All, Platner opened the floor for questions that focused on repealing Citizens United, his plan to pass a billionaire wealth tax, and the lawmakers and Senate committees the political newcomer has begun building relationships with as he aims to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
He named Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) as a lawmaker he has little in common with ideologically but with whom he shares a goal of ending "forever wars," and listed Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as some of the other senators he hopes to work with closely.
One woman stood up to note that some in the national corporate media have appeared certain in recent days that they "know" the voters of Maine and that they are likely to turn against Platner following news stories about his past marital struggles, former relationships, comments he made online years ago, and a tattoo he got while in the Marines.
"What do people not understand about Mainers?" the voter asked.
Platner answered that he's had conversations about economic inequality with people across the state—including at more than 80 town halls—and said that those focused on the controversies don't understand "how clear-eyed" and "how frustrated" Maine voters are with the political status quo.
“I think a lot of folks at the national level misunderstand,” he said at one point. “The reason they keep getting everything wrong is they think this is a race about me, but it isn’t. This is a race about us. This is a race about the future of politics in Maine."
One voter, Kurt Fedora of Buxton, told The Associated Press that he views the controversies that the national media has focused on in recent months as a smear campaign.
"They’re really reaching far to try to pin something on him. And it’s politics as usual,” Fedora told the outlet.
As Common Dreams noted Sunday, The New York Times' reporting last week on allegations that Platner was physically aggressive in past relationships—which he denied—has not appeared to make a dent in his campaign's fundraising. As he rallied with Khanna the day after the report came out, the campaign announced it had raised over $200,000 that day—"more money than on any day" since Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign in April.
Similarly, when earlier stories broke about his tattoo and Reddit posts, Platner only widened his lead over Mills in primary polls.
One attendee named Paul told Common Dreams that at the Sunday town hall, Platner had "described a system that needs to be changed," and that the same system "is out to destroy him in any way they can" by publishing stories like one that focused on Platner's text messages with women early in his marriage.
"There was no way I could care less about that," he said. "I always like to say, it's between him and his wife."
Another supporter, Claudia, added that ahead of Tuesday's primary election, she is "looking at the bigger picture."
"This country is in a really dangerous state. I mean, it's terrifying every day," she told Common Dreams. "You want more Susan Collins? I don't think so."
"I really appreciated the fact that he knows that he needs to have people with whom he has a relationship in Washington and with whom he can work," she added, turning her attention to the substance of Platner's remarks. "I feel like he's done a really good job of not only appreciating what so many of the issues are, but how he can engage with people down there [in DC]."
Platner emphasized that the Democratic Party has tried to unseat Collins numerous times since she took office in 1997, most recently with moderate state lawmaker Sara Gideon in 2020. Mills spoke affectionately about Collins last September, a month before she jumped into the race, saying she appreciates "everything she is doing" during President Donald Trump's second term.
Collins has long cast herself as a "moderate" and a defender of women's rights in particular, despite the fact that she has voted to confirm more than a dozen anti-choice judges in Trump's second administration alone.
“We are going to beat someone that the establishment of the Democratic Party has failed to unseat for 30 years,” Platner said. “We are going to beat someone who, for years, has tried to trick us all into thinking that she’s a moderate.”
While focusing their attention on Platner's policy platform, some in the crowd at the town hall suggested they were eager to rally for the candidate partially because of the recent attacks on his character. One attendee, Laurie Hudson, passed around a card she had made that read, "We are your Graham-ily and we've got your back," asking others in the audience to sign. She presented it to Platner after his opening remarks.
Platner urged attendees to get involved not only in his campaign's get-out-the-vote efforts in the final days of the primary campaign—by "going out into our communities and having hard conversations"—but in a larger movement powered by the working class, aimed at beating back Trump's agenda and the corporations and dark money groups that helped pave his way to the White House by pouring billions of dollars into elections.
"Throughout history, the only thing that's ever beaten fascism is a broad-based working-class coalition," said Platner. "This is a race about building power the old-fashioned way, from the ground up... Join a labor union, go help out at the local food pantry, go help out at a food bank, but you've got to do something. Because the moment we're in right now, it's going to require all of us.
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