Graham Platner Covers Up Tattoo That Resembles Nazi Symbol

Photo: Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald/AP Photo

After his splashy debut on the political scene, Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner has been playing defense following reports on his past controversial Reddit posts. But the hits kept on coming after it was revealed that the veteran and oyster farmer has a skull and crossbones tattoo that resembles a prominent Nazi emblem.

But on Wednesday, Platner revealed that he has since had the tattoo covered up in the wake of the burgeoning controversy.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Platner said he opted to have the tattoo covered up rather than undergo a full removal due to the slim options where he lives and in the interest of time. “Going to a tattoo-removal place is going to take a while,” he said. “I wanted this thing off my body.”

Platner first addressed the tattoo during an appearance on the podcast Pod Save America, saying he got the ink while on deployment with the Marines in Split, Croatia. Per his recollection, Platner said he and some of his fellow Marines got “very inebriated” while on leave in the city and visited a tattoo parlor.

NEW: Graham Platner reacts to recently resurfaced video of him singing shirtless at a wedding and an opposition research attack alleging he’s a “secret nazi.” Full interview out now on the Pod Save America YouTube. pic.twitter.com/r8GEePCPLP

— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) October 21, 2025

“We chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall, because we were Marines, and skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing. And then we all moved on with our lives” he said.

Platner said no one had ever pointed out the potential meaning of the tattoo in the years since, noting that he went on to join the Army and passed a security clearance when he served as a contractor with the U.S. Department of State.

“I am not a secret Nazi. Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments, I think you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general. I would say a lifelong opponent,” he said.

But Jewish Insider reports that Platner once referred to the tattoo as his “Totenkopf,” the German word referring to the “death’s head” symbol frequently used by the Nazis’s police unit. A former acquaintance of Platner recalled him using the term during a 2012 interaction at the Washington, D.C., bar Tune Inn where Platner once worked as a bartender. “He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” the person told the outlet. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”

Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, who resigned last week, rejected his rationalization in a statement to the Washington Post:

While he may have been unfamiliar with the symbolism when he got the tattoo, he has been aware of its meaning for years. He could have had it removed or covered. He chose not to. He is not uninformed, and prides himself on his knowledge of military history. Everyone who has tattoos knows what they mean.

While criticism against Platner continues to mount, he has yet to signal any intentions of dropping out of the Maine Democratic primary. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, one of Platner’s most prominent backers, has continued to express support for him in the wake of the controversy.

“Look, I understand this whole platoon — I don’t know too much about it — got inebriated,” Sanders told Politico. “He went through a dark period. He’s not the only one in America who has gone through a dark period. People go through that, he has apologized for the stupid remarks, the hurtful remarks that he made, and I’m confident that he’s going to run a great campaign and that he’s going to win.”