Trump questions assault allegations as Maine candidate quits

President Donald Trump commented on the sexual assault allegations against former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on Wednesday, questioning the veracity of the claims and suggesting a political double standard. His remarks came just before Platner, a Marine veteran and political newcomer, announced he was suspending his campaign.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump was asked if Democrats should be able to replace Platner on the ballot. "It's really a question of whether or not you believe the woman," Trump said. "A lot of people say big falsehoods. It's... he's in a bind. He's in a bind." The president also noted what he called a disparity in how allegations from women of different political affiliations were received. "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," he said.

The "woman" Trump referenced is Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend of Platner who alleged in a Politico report published Monday that he sexually assaulted her in 2021. Her detailed account, which included corroborating text messages and...