Editor’s note: This story contains graphic language.

FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who is already facing criticism over past Reddit posts, made graphic sexual comments on his now-deleted account about masturbating in portable toilets and explicit graffiti found in military restrooms.

In one March 2017 post on Reddit’s r/Military forum, Platner responded to a discussion about nostalgic military smells by writing: «I still have to jerk off every time I sit in a portas—-er… that blue water smell conditioned me.» 

The archived posts were made under «P-Hustle,» a now-deleted Reddit account that Platner previously acknowledged was his.

In another post from March 2021 on Reddit’s r/USMC forum, Platner described a crude penis drawing inside a portable toilet while deployed overseas.

DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE

Responding to a thread dedicated to so-called «GWOT Dick Art,» Platner launched into an extended monologue praising the explicit graffiti in unusually vivid terms, calling it «beautiful,» «engorged and veiny,» and moving «towards its penetrative glory.»

«Oh s***!!!,» Platner wrote. «You’ve got the Hot Rod C*** from Manas!»

Manas was a major U.S. military transit hub in Kyrgyzstan used during the wars in Afghanistan. Platner enlisted in the Marines in 2003 and served three combat tours in Iraq. In 2010, he joined the Maryland Army National Guard for a fourth tour, serving in the infantry in Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan eight years later as a security contractor.

PLATNER CALLED PTSD EXCUSE ‘BULL—-‘ IN 2020 POST, NOW CITES HIS OWN STRUGGLE TO EXPLAIN ONLINE CONTROVERSIES

The post accompanied a photograph of a smiling serviceman posing beside the explicit illustration inside the portable restroom.

«I sat there in sheer awe,» Platner wrote. «The soul filling joy to be allowed to witness such glory.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment on Monday.

Platner has previously responded to questions about his controversial posts by suggesting he was joking.

«You should read the comments in context. It’s very clear I’m joking,» he previously told Fox News Digital when asked about them. «It’s called s***posting. It’s when you argue with people on the internet and try to bother them. So, yeah, no, it’s very obviously not true.»

The posts, which are accessible in the Maine Monitor’s archive but have not been previously reported, are the latest in a series of vulgar and inflammatory social media comments that critics say raise questions about Platner’s judgment as the progressive Democrat emerges as his party’s Senate nominee in Maine.

BERNIE SANDERS DEFENDS MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR REDDIT COMMENTS

Republicans are likely to use the resurfaced posts, along with others, to portray Platner as too erratic and extreme for statewide office as Democrats rally behind the first-time candidate.

Mehek Cooke, a GOP strategist and senior national security and legal analyst for the Daily Signal, told Fox News Digital that, politically, Platner’s «vulgar» posts will «matter» to voters because they are «deciding whether Graham Platner has the judgment, temperament, and basic decency to represent Maine in the Senate.»

«His campaign has been built around authenticity and moral seriousness. These posts undercut both,» Cooke said. «Platner is not a truth-teller. He is someone whose instincts appear crude, reckless, and deeply unserious. And by the way, if they were really ‘jokes,’ why delete the posts? That sounds less like humor and more like a CYA cleanup operation.»

Cooke said that «one tasteless post» can be chalked up to «immaturity» but a «years-long trail of vulgar, sexually degrading, and slur-filled commentary is a character issue.»

Platner, a first-time candidate who is backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after his rival for the nomination, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polling and fundraising.

Other posts Platner has been questioned about, including in a recent interview with the New York Times, include a 2013 post, which Platner later deleted, that people concerned about rape should not «get so f—ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.»

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Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that was previously recognized as a Nazi symbol during an interview in Portland, Maine, on Oct. 22, 2025. (WGME via AP)

Platner has also faced scrutiny for more recent Reddit posts, including one from five years ago in which he described himself as a «communist» and «socialist.» Additionally, Platner’s posts have contained alleged homophobic slurs and praise for military tactics used by Hamas.

«Will every Democrat in Maine care? No,» Cooke said. «Platner has shown he can survive controversy inside a Democratic primary. But in a general election, especially against Susan Collins, the cumulative effect of his stances, controversies, and comments matters. The Nazi-linked tattoo controversy, the homophobic slurs, the disturbing comments that have already surfaced, and now these posts create a fuller picture of a morally bankrupt candidate. Republicans will argue this is not a candidate with a few regrettable moments. This is a pattern that tells voters something fundamental about his character. And character still matters to a lot of Mainers.»

Las protestas realizadas este lunes en la ciudad de La Paz para exigir la renuncia del presidente de Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, derivaron en ataques y saqueos contra instituciones públicas, daños en estaciones del sistema estatal Mi Teleférico y destrozos en edificios privados y pequeños comercios, en una jornada marcada por enfrentamientos entre manifestantes y fuerzas antimotines en las inmediaciones de la plaza Murillo.

Las movilizaciones reunieron a sectores vinculados al ex presidente Evo Morales, organizaciones sociales de El Alto, campesinos aimaras y la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), todos con la consigna de exigir la salida del mandatario boliviano, que lleva tan solo seis meses en el poder.

La tensión se concentró en las calles cercanas a la plaza Murillo, donde se encuentran la sede del Gobierno y el Parlamento. Los manifestantes intentaron avanzar hacia el área protegida por efectivos antimotines y lanzaron piedras, petardos y cargas de dinamita contra los agentes policiales, que respondieron con gases lacrimógenos para dispersar la protesta.

En medio de los enfrentamientos, grupos de manifestantes arrancaron puertas de un edificio privado para utilizarlas como escudos frente a la acción policial. También retiraron papeles, maderas y otros objetos del inmueble para encender fogatas en la vía pública y disminuir el efecto de los gases lacrimógenos.

Otro de los episodios más graves ocurrió en el edificio del Tribunal Departamental de Justicia (TDJ) de La Paz. Funcionarios registraron en videos el momento en que manifestantes ingresaron a las instalaciones, destruyeron mobiliario y sustrajeron algunos objetos. Otro grupo atacó con piedras uno de los accesos al complejo judicial.

Las protestas también afectaron al sistema de transporte por cable que conecta La Paz con la ciudad vecina de El Alto. Varias estaciones sufrieron daños por piedras arrojadas por los movilizados, especialmente una parada ubicada en el centro histórico paceño, donde además se registraron destrozos dentro de las oficinas.

Durante esos incidentes, un policía que custodiaba la estación fue golpeado por manifestantes. A raíz de los ataques, la empresa estatal Mi Teleférico suspendió de forma temporal el funcionamiento de una línea y otras tres rutas que atraviesan sectores donde se desarrollaron las movilizaciones.

Vecinos y medios de comunicación también registraron la quema de un vehículo policial estacionado cerca de dependencias de la Fuerza Especial de Lucha contra el Crimen (Felcc). Comerciantes callejeras denunciaron además saqueos y destrucción de pequeños puestos instalados en zonas próximas a las protestas.

La crisis social y política en Bolivia se agravó durante las últimas dos semanas. El departamento de La Paz permanece aislado del resto del país desde hace 13 días debido a bloqueos de carreteras impulsados por la Federación de Campesinos Tupac Katari con respaldo de la COB.

Las organizaciones movilizadas mantienen protestas callejeras desde principios de mayo y reclaman la salida del presidente Paz en medio de un escenario de creciente conflictividad. Además de La Paz, se reportaron cortes de ruta en los departamentos de Oruro, Cochabamba y Chuquisaca.

La Defensoría del Pueblo expresó preocupación por el aumento de hechos de violencia durante la cobertura periodística de las protestas. En un comunicado, el organismo informó que entre el 12 y el 18 de mayo se registraron “15 casos de agresiones contra periodistas y cuatro contra equipos de prensa” mientras cubrían los conflictos en distintas regiones del país.

El Gobierno boliviano responsabilizó al ex presidente Evo Morales de impulsar las movilizaciones y aseguró que existe un “intento” de retornar al poder mediante la presión social y los bloqueos. Hasta el momento, Morales no respondió públicamente a esas acusaciones.

La jornada concluyó con fuertes operativos policiales en el centro de La Paz, calles cubiertas por restos de piedras, vidrios y materiales incendiados, y un escenario de alta tensión política en la capital boliviana.

(Con información de EFE)

President Donald Trump suggested Friday that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could factor into broader negotiations with China, drawing a swift response from Taiwan’s president and reigniting debate in Washington about the future of longstanding U.S. policy toward the island.

Asked by Fox News whether he would move forward with a delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, Trump replied: «I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It’s a lot of weapons.» 

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pushed back hours later, calling U.S. arms sales «the most vital deterrent» to regional conflict and insisting Taiwan «shall never be sacrificed or traded away.»

Trump’s comments came as the administration continues to hold up a $14 billion Taiwan weapons package first approved in principle in late 2025, fueling growing debate in Washington over whether Trump is steering U.S. policy back toward a more traditional form of «strategic ambiguity» — or recasting support for Taiwan through a more openly transactional lens tied to broader negotiations with Beijing.

CHINA PROMISES ‘COUNTERMEASURES’ TO US ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN

The White House pushed back on suggestions that Trump’s remarks signaled a retreat from longstanding U.S. support for Taiwan.

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that Trump «will make a determination in a fairly short time» regarding a new Taiwan arms package and noted the president approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December 2025.

The official also argued Trump’s record on Taiwan arms sales exceeded that of previous administrations, saying Trump approved more sales during his first term «than any other president in history» and more in his first year back in office than former President Joe Biden approved across his entire presidency.

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping listened to each other on Taiwan, but Trump stressed he did not give in to Xi’s claims of control over Taiwan, declining to assure Xi the U.S. would not defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion.  (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)

Ahead of Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, bipartisan lawmakers warned in a letter that «American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation.»

The Taiwan issue already had emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints surrounding Trump’s mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing. 

Following the meeting, China’s foreign ministry said Xi warned Trump that Taiwan remained the «most important issue» in U.S.–China relations and cautioned that mishandling it could lead to «clashes and even conflicts» between the two powers.

The White House later downplayed the exchange, with a senior administration official telling Fox News Digital both sides had simply reiterated their longstanding positions on Taiwan.

For decades, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has rested on a posture of «strategic ambiguity» — supporting Taiwan’s self-defense while avoiding an explicit commitment to militarily defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.

Trump’s comments prompted competing reactions among foreign policy analysts, with some China hawks warning that treating Taiwan arms sales as negotiable could weaken deterrence and unsettle U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, while others argued the remarks reflected a return to a more traditional interpretation of strategic ambiguity after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan.

TAIWAN RAMPS UP COAST GUARD AND MILITARY READINESS IN FACE OF BEIJING’S ‘GRAY ZONE’ WARFARE

«Trading Taiwan’s security for rhetoric from Beijing would be a strategic blunder of historic proportions,» said retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. «If the president does not proceed with the arms sale to Taiwan, he will jeopardize U.S.–Taiwan relations and weaken U.S. credibility globally.»

Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund think tank, argued Trump’s comments blurred an important distinction at the center of longstanding U.S. Taiwan policy.

«Strategic ambiguity has nothing to do with providing arms to Taiwan,» Glaser told Fox News Digital. It only refers to whether the U.S. will defend Taiwan if attacked, she said. 

«The Taiwan Relations Act requires that the United States sell defensive arms to Taiwan. No president has ever said that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are a useful bargaining chip.»

But some foreign policy analysts argued Trump’s comments reflected a deliberate effort to re-center U.S. policy around American priorities.

TRUMP LEAVES CHINA WITH BREAKTHROUGHS — AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS ON XI’S BIGGEST FIGHTS

«Trump has shaken up the Taiwan debate in Washington to a large extent,» Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, told Fox News Digital.

The Taiwan issue had already emerged as one of the most sensitive flashpoints surrounding Trump’s mid-May summit with Xi in Beijing.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Goldstein argued Trump’s comments reflected a return to a more restrained interpretation of «strategic ambiguity» after years of increasingly explicit U.S. signaling toward Taiwan under the Biden administration.

«Overall, his approach has been to return U.S. policy to ‘strategic ambiguity,’ especially in contrast to the Biden administration, which was lurching dangerously toward ‘strategic clarity,’ that threatened to spark a near-term U.S.–China war,» Goldstein said.

During his presidency, former President Joe Biden repeatedly suggested the United States would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack — comments critics said pushed Washington closer toward «strategic clarity,» even as White House officials maintained there had been no formal policy change.

Critics argued Biden’s remarks heightened tensions with Beijing, while supporters said the comments strengthened deterrence against potential Chinese aggression.

Goldstein argued Trump’s willingness to openly discuss Taiwan arms sales in the context of broader U.S.–China negotiations reflects a more restrained approach aimed at preserving stability between Washington and Beijing.

«Indeed, with these fresh comments Trump recognizes that both sides are responsible for maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait,» Goldstein said. «He even went so far as to sternly admonish the leadership in Taipei for unnecessary risk-taking.»

Trump has long taken a more transactional approach toward Taiwan than many traditional U.S. foreign policy hawks, previously arguing the island should pay the United States for its defense and accusing Taiwan of «stealing» America’s semiconductor industry.

He has also repeatedly framed Taiwan through the lens of semiconductor competition and supply-chain dependence, arguing the United States should reclaim a larger share of advanced chip manufacturing.

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«Trump’s new reflections on Taiwan illustrate an informed approach that recognizes the basic and fundamental truth that Taiwan is not a vital U.S. national security interest and that the U.S.-China relationship far outweighs the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in importance,» Goldstein added.

The central question now facing lawmakers and U.S. allies is whether Trump’s rhetoric will ultimately affect the timing or conditions surrounding the pending Taiwan weapons package — a test many analysts see as critical to understanding how the administration intends to approach Taiwan going forward.