I had not heard of the totemkof before this or knew that it was a Nazi symbol I think it's totally possible that he just thought the skull was cool. Like honestly as an American we are really dumb and uneducated as can be seen here since most people don't know what that is.

[–] culprit@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 month ago (6 children)

There are witnesses to him jokingly referring to it as his 'totenkopf' like 8 years ago when he worked at a bar. Anyone interested in military history should probably be aware of it as well.

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Can you share a source?

[–] culprit@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago

But according to a person who socialized with Platner when he was living in Washington, D.C., more than a decade ago, Platner had specifically acknowledged that the tattoo was a Totenkopf, the “death’s head” symbol adopted by an infamous Nazi SS unit that guarded concentration camps in World War II.

“He said, ‘Oh, this is my Totenkopf,’” the former acquaintance told Jewish Insider recently, speaking on the condition of anonymity to address a sensitive issue. “He said it in a cutesy little way.”

The exchange occurred in 2012 at Tune Inn, a popular dive on Capitol Hill where Platner later worked as a bartender and was a frequent patron while he attended The George Washington University on the G.I. bill, according to the former acquaintance. He would often take his shirt off drinking with friends late at night at the bar, and on at least one occasion had stated he knew what the tattoo represented, the former acquaintance recalled.

https://jewishinsider.com/2025/10/graham-platner-ss-tattoo-maine-senate/

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