Graham Platner, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for Senate in Maine, is facing backlash over resurfaced Reddit posts in which he described the United States Army as 'absolute trash' and 'full of fat, lazy trash who would rather not be in uniform.' In separate posts from 2019, he criticized a wounded Army veteran who was later awarded the Purple Heart, writing that the soldier 'didn't deserve to live' after being shot by the Taliban.

The posts, made under an account Platner has acknowledged as his, also included disparaging remarks about other service members and controversial comments about military culture. Platner, who previously served in the Marine Corps and the Maryland Army National Guard with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, said his remarks reflected internal military criticism and crude humor common among service members.

The controversy has become a central issue in the Maine Senate race, where Platner is challenging incumbent Senator Susan Collins. Collins called the comments appalling, while other veterans have publicly condemned his remarks. Platner has apologized, saying the posts do not reflect who he is today and attributing his past behavior in part to psychological trauma from his deployments.