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Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner suggested that real plans to tax the rich have not been properly tried in a new interview.
While appearing on the “More Perfect Union” podcast on Thursday, Platner discussed his goal to rein in billionaires, believing that they have “too much power” and are “currently running the country” instead of President Donald Trump.
Platner was then asked how he could implement policies to go after billionaires, such as higher taxes, that do not also affect small businesses as they have in the past.
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Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a news conference Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Lewiston, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
“I think, and I’ll just be upfront, I think that the reason that it’s hit the middle class every time they try is that they’re not actually trying,” Platner said. “Because if they did, it would bother the people that donate the most money to them. And in this political system, that’s all any of these folks seem to care about.”
Platner remarked that his old college roommate, who became an IRS agent, gave him insight into how government organizations are encouraged to target small businesses over billionaires.
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“And for years, he would always tell me, he’s like, ‘You know, it’s very funny. When our budget gets cut, our bosses come down and say, it is time to go after small- and medium-sized businesses, because we don’t have the manpower or the resources to go tangle with a billionaire’s legal team.’ It’s much easier just to go down and go after just a small [business],” Platner said.
Graham Platner suggested a proper “tax the rich” policy hasn’t been properly implemented on the “More Perfect Union” podcast. (Graham Platner Senate campaign)
He continued, “And what’s amazing to me is we’re doing that, meanwhile, the total amount of uncollected taxes from corporations in this country, is in the hundreds of billions of dollars.”
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Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment.
Platner’s hope to target billionaires comes as fellow progressive and current New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushes his latest “tax the rich” policy on luxury homes.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently pushed a new tax targeting luxury homes in his city. (Angelina Katsanis / AP)
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Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, also recently laughed off concerns of wealthy residents leaving her city due to higher taxes.
