Graham Platner, a leading Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine challenging Republican incumbent Susan Collins, is under renewed scrutiny today thanks to a tattoo on his chest that resembles a decorative symbol commonly associated with the Nazi Schutzstaffel, or SS.
The tattoo depicts a skull and crossbones design that eerily resembles the Totenkopf, or “death’s head” — an emblem historically associated with SS units in Nazi Germany, including those guarding concentration camps and committing war crimes across Europe. The symbol has since been adopted by white supremacist groups and neo-Nazis worldwide.
Platner confirmed the tattoo is real and said he got it nearly two decades ago, in 2007, while on military leave in Croatia. He claims the design was chosen “off the wall” at a tattoo shop during a trip with fellow Marines and said he had no knowledge of the symbol’s fascist connotations at the time.
“This was not a Nazi tattoo. I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner announced on Tuesday, adding that he intends to have the tattoo covered or removed.
“We chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines and, you know, skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing, and we got those tattoos, and then we all moved on with our lives,” Platner told Pod Save America’s Tommy Vietor on Monday, adding that he has undergone multiple screenings and security clearances since then without issue.
“I went to college, I went to the gym, I did all the things, and at no point in this entire experience of my life did anybody once say, ‘Hey, you’re a Nazi,’” he continued. “It never came up until we got wind that in the opposition research somebody was shopping the idea I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo, and I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I’ve not been doing a very good job for the past 18 years.”
The controversy surfaced after opposition researchers circulated old social media photos showing the tattoo, drawing unwanted attention from both local and national media outlets. It follows other issues from Platner’s past, including a series of now-deleted online posts — first reported by CNN — in which he made controversial remarks about military sexual assault, rural voters, and a host of other topics.
The central question is whether Platner knew — or reasonably should have known — what the symbol represented. His former political director, Genevieve McDonald, resigned from the campaign, saying Platner “knows damn well” what the tattoo signifies, casting doubt on his claim of ignorance regarding the Totenkopf’s history.
As Politico reports:
“Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means,” Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, wrote on Facebook.
McDonald, a former Democratic state lawmaker, resigned from the campaign last week after revelations about Platner’s numerous controversial posts on Reddit.
Jewish Insider also reported on Tuesday that an acquaintance of Platner recalled him referring to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” though POLITICO has not independently verified the reporting.
“Totenkopf” is a German word typically referring to an image of a skull and crossbones. During the Nazi era, one form of the image was adopted by the Nazi police, leading to a lasting association with Nazism and continued use by white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Platner’s campaign did not specifically answer whether he had ever used that term.
Even casual students of history would recognize that the Totenkopf is far from obscure. Inextricably linked to Nazi atrocities and extremist movements for nearly a century, it’s the kind of imagery that instantly becomes politically radioactive — especially in a high-profile Senate race.
Whether voters will forgive him is anyone’s guess. But the backlash could sink Platner’s hopes of winning the Democratic nomination — or fatally damage his chances against Collins in a state that prides itself on political independence.
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