Washington DC – President Donald Trump on Wednesday took a swipe at Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner, labeling him "a thug" mere hours after the oyster farmer claimed victory in the Democratic primaries.
"They're dumb, they're 'Dumocrats' and they have the worst policy of anybody: I watched that thug that's up in Maine, he's a thug and they're trying to make excuses for him," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"I mean he's worse than any human being that's ever run for office, probably," he said. "I don't know him, I don't wanna say bad, but I just, look, nobody's ever had a record like that."
"You have Schumer, he goes crazy over this or that, or Epstein, Epstein, Epstein, but this guy, why aren't they talking about him? He said, 'Well, we don't know,' but this guy's got a rap sheet, I've never seen anything like it."
Trump went on to repeatedly call Platner a "thug" and a "cheap, no-good person." At one point, he said that "he's not a businessman at all, his parents supported him, the guy's a loser."
His comments came a day after Platner scored a thumping victory in Maine's Democratic primary, securing 72% of the vote and setting up a one-on-one match against incumbent GOP Senator Susan Collins in November.
The victory came amid multiple scandals, including accusations of sexting with women even after he got married in 2023.
Trump has been accused on multiple occasions of sexual misconduct with women and in 2023 was found liable by a New York jury for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in 1996.
Platner campaign responds to Trump's criticism
Approached for comment by ABC News, Platner's campaign dismissed Trump's remarks and said that he is focused exclusively on the issued facing Maine.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also responded with a statement, slamming Collins' political record.
"Susan Collins is facing backlash in Maine after voting with Trump 96% of the time, being the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and selling out to the special interests," spokesperson Josh Marcus-Blank said. "That's why Trump praised her today in the Oval Office."