Army veteran rips Maine Senate candidate over post mocking his survival

Ted Daniels, a war veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was nearly killed by the Taliban, battered Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner over a resurfaced post in which Platner said Daniels should not have survived.

Speaking to “The Bottom Line” on Thursday, Daniels said Platner was a “coward” for hiding behind the keyboard.

“People like this don’t say things like that to my face,” he said. “It’s on the internet, and that tells me you’re a coward, Graham.”

In a now-deleted Reddit post from June 2019, Platner reacted to a viral helmet camera video that showed Daniels being shot four times during a firefight with Taliban fighters in 2012.

“This video never gets old,” Platner wrote under the username “P-Hustle,” a since-deleted Reddit account he acknowledged owning.

“Stupid mother—– did not deserve to live. At least her stupidity and fat growl is something all future infantrymen can witness and despise. Poor marksmanship from the Taliban was the only reason this mouth-breathing man came home, he managed to make every possible decision possible when it came to small unit warfare,” the post read.

PLATNER’S DELETED REDDIT OPENED THE DISCOUNT AGAIN WHEN FOLLOWED WITH WOUNDED SOLDIER: ‘DON’T DESERVE TO LIVE’

The deleted post can still be found at: Maine MonitorDatabase containing Platner’s deleted Reddit history.

Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is facing mounting backlash for past online comments that have drawn criticism from veterans and lawmakers across the political spectrum. The resurfaced Reddit account also featured crude and highly unusual posts that critics said raised broader questions about Platner’s decision.

“Thank you for your service, Graham, but I personally think you are an asshole,” Daniels said.

Other posts that resurfaced on Reddit included Platner describing himself as a “communist” and “socialist,” allegedly homophobic slurs, and praise for Hamas’ military tactics.

Daniels said Platner’s comments may stem from personal insecurity.

“Hate never comes from above,” he said. “It always comes from below. I don’t know if Mr. Platner has an inferiority complex. I don’t know if he’s disgusted or not proud of his own service, because he’s out there attacking people who are proud of their service and doing the right things for the right reasons.”

THE BEST REDDIT POSTS THAT REMEMBER GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, acknowledges a large crowd at the town hall at Bunker Brewing in Portland, Maine, on Sept. 25, 2025. (Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald via AP)

He said he first learned of the post while having coffee with his wife and, without knowing who wrote it, immediately asked if it came from a “liberal.”

After his wife confirmed it was Platner, Daniels said the comments “make sense.”

“This is what they’re doing. It’s violent rhetoric. It’s hateful rhetoric,” he said.

Daniels said Platner needed “therapy” to attack other soldiers, including “American Sniper” and former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whom he had previously accused of killing civilians to inflate their numbers.

“The comments he made about me are just one thing. He also attacked former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Chris Kyle is an American hero, he’s an icon, a legend,” he said.

WATCH: COLLINS INJURES MAINE CHALLENGER PLATNER RIPS SOLDIER ON REDDIT POST’S REVIEW

Sen. Susan Collins is criticizing Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner for mocking a wounded U.S. soldier as he moves toward a potential showdown in November. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images)

He added that Platner’s comments reflected negatively on the military as a whole.

“Everyone thinks that everyone who serves in the military is a saint and can do no wrong, but that’s not the case,” he said.

“It is a shame for the entire military and veterans community that someone like this has become part of our culture in the first place.”

Daniels said Platner contributed to extreme political rhetoric online.

“This guy supported Antifa. He called for violence. He hates cops and it’s like that’s what we’re dealing with,” he said. “From what I see, everything is behind the keyboard.”

He said Platner’s rhetoric and emotionally unstable behavior made him unfit for office.

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“This is coming from a guy who had no idea what a woman was, but he saw a video of a guy online and had an emotional breakdown like a 13-year-old girl who’s just been dumped by her boyfriend,” Daniels said. “To be honest, this is not the kind of leadership we need in our government.”

Platner became the presumptive Democratic nominee after two-term Gov. Janet Mills ended her campaign last month. If she wins the June primary, Platner will face five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall.