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President Donald Trump remarked that congressional Democrats would have a hard time replacing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after the embattled candidate suspended his campaign Wednesday.
„It’s very hard for them to do. It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It’s… 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 imagine he’s going to lose,“ Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One before returning to the United States from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday evening after numerous Democrats and liberals who had previously backed him pulled their support and encouraged him to drop out of the race.
PLATNER DROPS OUT OF CRUCIAL SENATE RACE AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION TORPEDOES CAMPAIGN
The calls for his exit came after Politico published a bombshell report detailing rape allegations against Platner. In the story, Platner’s ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot alleged he forced his way into her home and sexually assaulted her in 2021.
Platner speaks at a town hall at the Leavitt Theater on October 22, 2025, in Ogunquit, Maine. (Sophie Park/Getty Images)
The Politico report followed a New York Times story that described another physical abuse allegation against Platner, this one from Lyndsey Fifield, a digital strategist for Republican political campaigns and organizations.
Trump alluded to Fifield’s allegations, wondering aloud why her allegations weren’t a catalyst for outrage in the same manner that Racicot’s were.
PLATNER’S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE ‚ABSOLUTELY‘ RAPED HER
President Donald Trump speaks with the media aboard Air Force One shortly after departure from Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom, after he switched from the old VC-25A Air Force One to the newer VC-25B Bridge Air Force One, en route to Washington, on July 8, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
„It’s very interesting when the Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her… when this woman came out everybody believed her, right?“ Trump asked reporters.
Fifield criticized the New York Times‘ handling of her accusations, spotlighting the paper’s focus on her history of working for Republicans.
„I’m out here on my own, I’m the only one photographed and there’s 11 paragraphs of my work history. Like, what is this?“ Fifield told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview.
Lyndsey Fifield spoke with Fox News Digital about feeling „betrayed“ by The New York Times after she came forward with abuse allegations against her ex, Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. (Lyndsey Fifield)
Platner maintained that his suspension was not an admission of guilt and denied the allegations.
While Platner suspended his campaign Wednesday, he has not officially dropped out to clear a path for a new candidate. Under Maine state law, he would have to drop out by July 13 to allow the Democratic Party to put a new candidate on the ballot in his stead.
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Fox News Digital contacted the Platner campaign for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
