Senate Candidate Unveils Plan To ‘Shut Down’ Trump Administration

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner outlined an aggressive strategy Thursday aimed at effectively grinding the Trump administration to a halt if Democrats regain control of Congress.

During an appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing” with host Jen Psaki, Platner said Democrats should fully leverage congressional authority to disrupt the administration’s ability to operate.

“Something we’re going to have to do if we’re in the majority [is] we need to use the power we get to shut this White House down,” Platner said. “One of the best ways is through committee hearings and investigations. I want the Trump administration not to function, because everyone in the White House is being hauled under subpoena in front of a Senate committee, day after day after day.”

He added that Democrats would have no shortage of material to investigate, saying, “We have so many crimes to investigate at this point — we could probably be doing this for the next 30 years.”

Platner framed the approach as part of a broader need for Democrats to rethink how they use political power.

“I think we need to understand that the Democratic Party needs to form a theory of power. I don’t think it’s had one for a long time,” he said. “You have to define the end state. What is the goal? What do you want to use your power in the service of? And then, how are you going to craft the policies to get there — and more importantly, build the political will and the political power to make those policies a reality?”

If Democrats win back both chambers of Congress, Platner said he would push to keep administration officials tied up in investigations, limiting their ability to carry out policy.

“It’s a lever of power,” he said. “Using subpoena power, bringing people in for investigations—that keeps them busy and doesn’t allow them to go start another stupid war. It doesn’t allow them to continue to give billionaires more and more of our economy.”

He also argued that Senate Democrats should uniformly oppose Trump administration nominees and use federal funding authority as another pressure point.

“I think we need to use all of the power we have around funding and the power of the purse to stop paying for these kinds of stupid wars, stop paying for agencies like ICE, stop paying for the things that the Trump administration is doing that are materially hurting our democracy and hurting working people,” Platner said.

Platner’s campaign has drawn controversy in recent months, including scrutiny over a tattoo critics claim resembles a “Totenkopf,” a symbol historically associated with Nazi SS units.

The candidate is running in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary, where the race shifted Thursday after Gov. Janet Mills announced she is dropping out. Mills had previously entered the race with strong backing from party leadership, including endorsements from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and several prominent Democratic groups.

Mills’ departure effectively clears the way for his nomination.

Platner, a progressive outsider and oyster farmer, had been slated to participate in several upcoming primary debates against Mills and fellow Democrat David Costello. But his campaign confirmed Friday that he is withdrawing from those events to shift focus toward the general election and a challenge against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

CBS 13, which was set to host one of the debates later this month, confirmed the change.

Costello criticized the move, arguing it deprives voters of a fuller discussion of the issues ahead of the June primary.

“I get the Platner camp’s logic in withdrawing from the five scheduled debates,” Costello wrote in a post on X. “Yet this move cuts short important policy discussions and conversations and shortchanges Maine voters, most of whom haven’t fully focused on June’s primary election. I hope he’ll reconsider.”

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