A Purple Heart recipient who was shot four times by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan is speaking out against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after a resurfaced Reddit post attributed to Platner expressed that the soldier "didn't deserve to live" — and after Platner refused to apologize when confronted about it directly.
Pfc. Ted Daniels, who survived a Taliban ambush in 2012 captured on helmet-cam video, appeared on Fox News to push back on attempts by Platner's supporters to excuse the comments by citing PTSD. Daniels said he has empathy for anyone dealing with the disorder — but that PTSD is not a license for wishing death on a combat soldier. The Reddit account "P-Hustle," linked to Platner by the Maine Monitor, posted in 2019 that Daniels was a "dumb motherf-----" who "didn't deserve to live" and that the Taliban's "poor marksmanship" was the only reason he survived. The post called Daniels a "mouthbreather" and mocked his combat performance in terms so contemptuous they defy easy summary. Platner, when confronted by Fox News Digital outside a market near his home, declined to apologize to Daniels or to voters.
"Right now it appears that Graham Platner is the poster child for people who suffer with PTSD, and it's an embarrassment to veterans, to first responders, to sexual assault victims, to everybody who deals with it." — Pfc. Ted Daniels
Daniels said he is not personally seeking an apology — he is a big boy, he said, and can handle it. What he cannot accept is the precedent the comments set for how the political class regards those who put their lives on the line. The apologies that matter, Daniels said, are owed to the Gold Star families whose loved ones died in combat while people like Platner were online cheering for enemy marksmanship. U.S. Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill also condemned the comments, calling them the opposite of everything the military stands for. Sen. Jim Banks called on Platner to drop out of the race entirely.
Platner is the Democrats' presumptive Senate nominee in Maine, where he is positioned to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the most competitive races of the 2026 cycle. He is a Marine veteran who served four combat tours, and has leaned heavily on that background throughout his campaign. But a mounting collection of resurfaced Reddit posts — including comments about sexual assault, slurs, socialist advocacy, and now direct mockery of a wounded fellow veteran — has thrown his candidacy into serious question even within his own party. Sen. John Fetterman called what is happening in Maine's Democratic primary "a small Communist takeover."
Platner has attributed his past online behavior to untreated PTSD and heavy drinking following his combat deployments. He issued a general apology earlier in the campaign season, but has not specifically apologized to Ted Daniels or acknowledged the content of the post about him. The Maine Monitor has archived dozens of posts attributed to the "P-Hustle" Reddit account linked to Platner, including comments disparaging the military, endorsing socialism, and using slurs.
A man who publicly builds his political identity on his military service while privately mocking a soldier who was shot four times in Afghanistan has a character problem, not a PTSD problem. PTSD is a serious condition that deserves genuine respect and proper treatment. It is not a political shield for a Senate candidate to hide behind after being caught on the record wishing an American combat veteran had died. Ted Daniels deserved better from a fellow veteran. Maine voters deserve better from their Democratic Party.