{"id":2566,"date":"2026-07-09T20:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2566"},"modified":"2026-07-09T20:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:34:47","slug":"trump-says-graham-platner-will-likely-lose-after-rape-allegations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2566","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Graham Platner will likely lose after rape allegations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430763\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">President Donald Trump<\/a> remarked that congressional Democrats would have a hard time replacing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after the embattled candidate suspended his campaign Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">&#8220;It&#8217;s very hard for them to do. It&#8217;s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A lot of people say big falsehoods. It&#8217;s&#8230; he&#8217;s in a bind. He&#8217;s in a bind. But, should they be able to do it? Well, I guess he&#8217;s going to lose. I imagine he&#8217;s going to lose,&#8221; Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One before returning to the United States from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">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.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430764\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/platner-drops-out-crucial-race-after-bombshell-rape-allegation-torpedoes-senate-campaign\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PLATNER DROPS OUT OF CRUCIAL SENATE RACE AFTER BOMBSHELL RAPE ALLEGATION TORPEDOES CAMPAIGN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The calls for his exit came after Politico published a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430765\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/07\/06\/graham-platner-sexual-assault-allegation-00987737\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bombshell report<\/a> detailing rape allegations against Platner. In the story, Platner&#8217;s ex-girlfriend Jenny Racicot alleged he forced his way into her home and sexually assaulted her in 2021.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/343\/192\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/686\/384\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/672\/378\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1344\/756\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/931\/523\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1862\/1046\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/720\/405\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1440\/810\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1200\/675\/graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Platner speaks at a town hall at the Leavitt Theater on October 22, 2025, in Ogunquit, Maine.<\/span> <span>(Sophie Park\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The Politico report followed a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430766\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/politics\/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New York Times story<\/a> that described another physical abuse allegation against Platner, this one from Lyndsey Fifield, a digital strategist for Republican political campaigns and organizations.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Trump alluded to Fifield&#8217;s allegations, wondering aloud why her allegations weren&#8217;t a catalyst for outrage in the same manner that Racicot&#8217;s were.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430767\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/platners-latest-accuser-couldnt-disagree-more-those-who-accuse-her-being-motivated-politics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>PLATNER&#8217;S LATEST ACCUSER CLAIMS THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE &#8216;ABSOLUTELY&#8217; RAPED HER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/president-donald-trump-july-8-2026.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"President Donald Trump\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>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.<\/span> <span>(SAUL LOEB \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;It&#8217;s very interesting when the Republican woman came out with the same charge, nobody believed her&#8230; when this woman came out everybody believed her, right?&#8221; Trump asked reporters.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fifield criticized the <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430768\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/new-york-times-under-scrutiny-over-graham-platner-coverage-as-accusers-speaks-out-against-paper\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Times&#8217; handling<\/a> of her accusations, spotlighting the paper&#8217;s focus on her history of working for Republicans.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">&#8220;I&#8217;m out here on my own, I&#8217;m the only one photographed and there&#8217;s 11 paragraphs of my work history. Like, what is this?&#8221; Fifield told Fox News Digital in a <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1430769\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/platner-accuser-recalls-gaslighting-betrayal-from-ny-times-she-came-forward-her-allegations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wednesday interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/931\/523\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1862\/1046\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"523\" width=\"931\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/720\/405\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1440\/810\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"405\" width=\"720\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/cc5ffcbd-Lyndsey-Fifield-1.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Lyndsey Fifield smiles in front of a house\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Lyndsey Fifield spoke with Fox News Digital about feeling &#8220;betrayed&#8221; by The New York Times after she came forward with abuse allegations against her ex, Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.<\/span> <span>(Lyndsey Fifield)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Platner maintained that his suspension was not an admission of guilt and denied the allegations.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">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.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital contacted the Platner campaign for comment.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital&#8217;s Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! 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. &#8220;It&#8217;s very hard for them to do. It&#8217;s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman. A&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trump_Platner.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}