# Platner: Out. Trump’s War: On. Chaos in Maine. Chaos in the Middle East.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/platner-out-trump-s-war-on-chaos-in-maine-chaos-in-the-middle-east
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/platner-out-trump-s-war-on-chaos-in-maine-chaos-in-the-middle-east.md
Podcast: [Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff](https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737)
Published: 2026-07-09T02:59:23+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/episodes/platner-out-trumps-war-on-chaos-in-maine-chaos-in-the-middle-east/
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/c39fb6/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1385/injector.simplecastaudio.com/c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626/episodes/302c50f5-8789-4c0f-a175-51403573db66/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626&awEpisodeId=302c50f5-8789-4c0f-a175-51403573db66&feed=8GTvjwcf
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Duration seconds: 992

## Resource

Two stories broke in the same news cycle, and both are gut punches for anyone who cares about accountability. In Maine, Democratic Senate candidate and former Marine Graham Platner has withdrawn after a Nazi tattoo, ugly online history, and rape allegations from two women who went on the record. Paul was skeptical from day one — and lays out why Platner ducked every veteran interviewer who might have pressed him, why the progressive left keeps chasing candidates who look the part instead of doing the work, and why Maine, one of the most independent states in the country, deserved better than a binary between a compromised Democrat and Susan Collins.

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## Transcript

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