Bill Maher Backs Graham Platner for Senate Despite Controversies

On an episode of HBO’s “Real Time” recently, Bill Maher endorsed Graham Platner, a candidate running for the Senate in Maine, even while labeling some of his positions as “horrible.”

Maher encouraged Maine residents to vote for Platner for a couple of reasons, despite acknowledging numerous controversies surrounding him. “First, we really need balance in our government, and a Democratic Senate could help achieve that. And second, well, this is America—a place filled with all sorts of people, and we continually choose our representation like looking into a mirror,” he stated.

Maher also commented on disturbing remarks attributed to Platner. He referenced a woman named Lindsay Fifield, who dated Platner and expressed concerns about his behavior. Fifield recounted that Platner once claimed, “If anybody breaks in here, I’m going to rape them,” clarifying it was not meant in a sexual context, but more so as a display of control.

“The bigger issue here is that if Democrats succeed in Maine, they could very well take back the Senate in November,” Maher remarked. “However, their local candidate—after this week’s primary—seems to have a past that sends up red flags.”

Maher went on to say he’s still getting to know Platner but highlighted the important fact that he served in the Marines. However, Maher wasn’t shy about addressing Platner’s problematic past, including disturbing comments about sexual abuse and a controversial tattoo resembling the Nazi “Totenkopf” symbol.

“This guy’s life reads like a script for a comedy,” Maher quipped. “Honestly, he doesn’t need a Senate term; he could benefit from a gap year in Costa Rica.”

In the latter part of the segment, Maher shifted gears to critique President Trump’s way of communicating, pointing out a trend among politicians where strange behavior seems to go unchallenged. “Our current president just lays out his unfiltered thoughts,” Maher explained, emphasizing that most people edit their thoughts before expressing them. “There’s a filter—what we say isn’t usually just a direct reflection of our minds. But that’s not the case for the president.”