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AUSTIN, TX - President Donald Trump has a new target this week as he takes aim at Republican critics — longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

Trump is targeting Cornyn as "VERY disloyal" as he backs Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in Tuesday's combustible and expensive runoff election for the GOP Senate nomination in the right-leaning state. The ballot box showdown serves as the latest tests of Trump's immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races.

The winner of the runoff will face off against rising Democratic Party star state Rep. James Talarico in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas.

The Senate contest is the most high-profile showdown on a ballot that also includes Democratic and Republican runoffs for Texas Attorney General, as well as key primary battles for four U.S. House seats, including a Democratic Party runoff in the 35th Congressional District where one of the two candidates in a social media post proposed converting an ICE detention center into a prison for American supporters of Israel.

TRUMP BACKS MAGA ALLY PAXTON IN TEXAS SHOWDOWN WITH CORNYN

Trump's targeting of Cornyn comes three weeks after the purging five state senators in Indiana's primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after helping to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who five and a half years ago voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial - and one week after defeating vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky.

The Texas runoff is also being held one week after Trump endorsed Paxton, after sitting on the sidelines in the race for months.

"Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate," Trump wrote in a social media post last Tuesday.

The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime.

Trump, in backing Paxton, said that "John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough."

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Pointing to the senator's past criticism of him, Trump added, "John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency."

Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda.

"President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we've worked with him closely for both terms of office," the senator said.

Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed.

"John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can go back over about a decade and see that he was not for the border wall," Paxton charged in an interview on Fox News' "The Big Weekend Show."

CONTENTIOUS REPUBLICAN SENATE PRIMARY IN TEXAS HEADED INTO OVERTIME

Paxton also argued that the senator "fought the president's reelection. He fought him in 2024, said his time had passed, and he fought him in 2016. So this is not a pro-Trump guy. I don't know if we could be more different on the Republican issues than John Cornyn and me. So there is a vast difference between the two of us."

Cornyn pushed back.

"I don't know how much more with him I could be than 99.3% of the time," the senator told Fox News Digital.

"I want him to be successful. I want America to be successful, and I want Republicans to be successful. But you know, in the end, as I said, Texans are the only ones going to be able to make a choice, and I think Texans can be pretty independent," Cornyn added.

Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state senate.

And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing "biblical grounds" based on "recent discoveries" in filing last year to end their marriage.

Cornyn, who is supported by Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has repeatedly argued that if Paxton is the GOP's nominee, the party will be forced to spend millions of dollars to keep the seat from flipping and that Republicans down-ballot will suffer.

"He's gotten more and more emboldened as he's gotten away with all the scandal and mischief that now is very well known, but were he to be the nominee and be exposed to general election voters, especially independents, I think it's going to be a very rocky time," the senator predicted.

TRUMP OWNS THE GOP - BUT WILL REPUBLICANS PAY A PRICE IN THE MIDTERMS?

And pointing to Talarico, who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising during the first three months of this year, Cornyn said "there will be an incredible tsunami of Democratic funds coming in against Paxton, were he the nominee. Conversely...if I am the nominee...we'll be able to shoulder the burden pretty much on our own. I won my last general election by 10 points. I think I can do similarly against somebody who's as far left and radical as James Talarico."

While Paxton has shifted his ads to target Talarico in the wake of the Trump endorsement, Cornyn and allied groups continue to blast Paxton.

"I don't think anybody could honestly argue that we haven't fought hard to make the case here," Cornyn said of his campaign.

And he emphatically said he's "worked too long and too hard to help build the Republican Party in Texas, and in the United States Senate, and to keep Texas the envy of the nation when it comes to opportunities and pursuing the American dream, to let that go, to squander it, and let it go without a fight. So I'm still optimistic on the outcome, but obviously it depends on who shows up."

The other statewide runoff in Texas is for attorney general, in the race to succeed Paxton.

In the expensive GOP showdown, four-term Rep. Chip Roy is battling state Sen. Mayes Middleton, the president of an independent oil and gas company.

Middleton, who edged Roy in the March primary, has dished out roughly $17 million of his own money to back his campaign. But Roy, a former Texas assistant attorney general and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, received a late surge in fundraising from major backers.

"We've gotten the financial support necessary to compete with my self-funder opponent, who's got his inheritance money that he can just spend," Roy highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff.

Roy has argued that Middleton's lack of courtroom experience would make him a poor attorney general.

"Having been the first assistant attorney general makes me ready on day one, but it's also that I've been a prosecutor, I've been in court, I've sat in front of a judge, stood in front of a judge, argued cases, and he has never done any of those things. And we think those things should matter," Roy emphasized.

Middleton has pushed back, questioning Roy's conservative credentials and run ads claiming Roy's "betrayed MAGA" as he's pointed to the times the congressman has broken with Trump over policy.

"Chip Roy has someone that has spent a decade fighting the president. He actually said President Trump committed impeachable conduct on the House floor," Middleton told Fox News Digital. "Instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump, what have I done? I've spent 10 years, fighting to defeat the left, which is what matters the most in this race."

But Roy, responding, said "everyone knows that I'm a longtime defender and supporter of the president's agenda, of the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I'm also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case. And pointing to Middleton, Roy charged, "MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy the brand."

Middleton returned fire, arguing "Chip Roy is putting out there that he is a top ally to President Trump when the exact opposite is the case."

Roy, showcasing his electability, said "I beat Democrats before in a tough race" and that he "knows how to win."

The winner of the GOP runoff will likely face Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who came close to clinching his party's nomination in the primary. Johnson is facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

Also in the spotlight are Democratic and GOP runoffs in the redrawn majority-Latino 35th Congressional District,

Democratic Party leaders are slamming housing activist and sex therapist Maureen Galindo for her Instagram post on imprisoning American Zionists at an ICE detention center. She added that the prison would have a castration facility for pedophiles, which she claimed would likely include "most of the Zionists.

She also said that her rival in the runoff, Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Garcia, should be tried for treason over his support for Israel.

The comments have spurred support for Garcia, who's running as a moderate. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Texas Democratic Party, Talarico, and even progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have backed Garcia.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against either Republican state Rep. John Lujan or Carlos De La Cruz, an Air Force veteran and brother of Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas.

In the solidly blue, Houston-based 18th Congressional District, 78-year-old Democratic Rep. Al Green will face off with recently-elected 38-year-old Rep. Christian Menefee, for a seat redrawn last year by Republicans as part of their congressional redistricting push.

Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson is running against former Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic-dominated, Dallas-based, 33rd Congressional District.

And in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District, a right-tilting seat in the Houston area, Trump-endorsed Army veteran Alex Mealer faces Abbott-endorsed state Rep. Briscoe Cain.

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Here's the usual media narrative: Donald Trump did something awful (or outrageous, or borderline crazy), and the Republicans in Congress are wimps who won't stand up to him. 

Rinse, dry, repeat. 

But that changed dramatically in the last few days. 

The new story line:

Donald Trump did something beyond the pale and the brave Republicans are standing up to him. 

They're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. 

THE ART OF PERFECTION: HOW TRUMP SURVIVES EVEN HIS WORST BLUNDERS THROUGH SHEER REPETITION

If you don't recall this happening before in Trump's second term, that's because it hasn't.

So now you have the press and much of the GOP marching in lockstep. 

It's a revolt. Practically a revolution. And while most journalists love intra-party strife on both sides (such as the Dems' dumb 2024 autopsy), they particularly relish a development that seems to be breaking, or at least loosening, Trump's iron grip on power. 

There was something about Trump's decision to use $1.8 billion largely for those convicted of crimes on Jan. 6 that was a bridge too far. Some of these people had attacked and injured police officers, seized members' offices and chanted for Mike Pence's hanging.

The money came from the settlement of Trump's suit against the IRS. He had legitimately been wronged by the leaking of his tax returns to the New York Times — showing he had (legally) paid no income tax in 10 out of 15 years, and just $750 in two other years. 

But it was awkward because the head of the government was suing one of its agencies. The leaker, a former IRS contractor, was sentenced to five years in prison. 

This is the culmination of a five-year effort by the president to recast the protestors, who he had summoned to Washington and directed to march to the Capitol, as patriots, not lawbreakers. That is inconveniently contradicted by the relentless violence we all saw on our television screens as the riot unfolded. It was one of the darkest days in American history, aimed at stopping Congress from certifying Joe Biden's 2020 victory.

AOC, RO KHANNA AND THE MEDIA'S RUSH TO FLOG A CONTEST THAT IS 18 MONTHS AWAY

The coverage has been exploding as even many Republicans on the Hill have vehemently objected to what critics call a "slush fund."

When Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former defense lawyer for Trump, met with Senate Republicans, things exploded.

"My guess is there’re probably 45 senators in the room, at least half of them were blasting the attorney general. … They were screaming at the acting attorney general," said Sen. Ted Cruz., who called it a "full-on revolt."

Mitch McConnell, no fan of the president, put it this way: 

"So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong – Take your pick."

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who just lost his primary thanks to Trump, said on X:

"People are concerned about paying their mortgage or rent, affording groceries and paying for gas, not about putting together a $1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability."

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, on CNN, described the entire effort as a "galactic blunder."

One senator, Tommy Tuberville, defended Trump’s plan as aimed at "hundreds of innocent patriots."

After the fiery session on the so-called "anti-weaponization" fund, GOP leaders — concerned about having to vote on the fund — killed a scheduled vote on a $72-billion measure to crack down on illegal immigration. 

They also refused to approve the $1 billion for the White House ballroom that the president is obsessed with building.

 PACKING THE SUPREME COURT? KAMALA HARRIS PUSHES IDEA AS THE PARTY QUICKLY FORGETS ABOUT JOE BIDEN

The media are suddenly full of praise for these rebelling Republicans, who, with a few exceptions, are not generally viewed as allies.

The most likely outcome, in my view, is a mushy compromise that includes some modifications on how the awards are made. That’s usually how the Hill deals with tough questions. 

But ultimately, as on most issues, Donald Trump will probably get his way, the culmination of his dogged campaign to whitewash the unsavory image of the Jan. 6 lawbreakers. 

Footnote: The timing can’t be coincidental. Many Republicans–along with Democrats and the likes of the Wall Street Journal editorial page–are openly criticizing the outlines of a Trump agreement with Iran.

"Doesn’t make too much sense to me," said Sen. Thom Tillis.

A "60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster," said Sen. Roger Wicker.

While the details are still being negotiated, the main objection is the U.S. bowing to Iran’s demand to deal with nuclear issues later on — with no time limit–once the Strait of Hormuz and other questions are resolved.

Lindsey Graham, a war hawk and pal of the president, says the vaguely defined delay on nuclear weaponry "makes one wonder why the war started to begin with."

Maybe the previously unthinkable idea of Republicans openly challenging Trump is catching on.

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A skydiver died Sunday following a reported midair collision between two jumpers, authorities said Monday.

The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. near Colville, northeast of Washington state, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).

The impact occurred during a scheduled group jump involving multiple participants, officials said, adding that several staff members reportedly watched the tragedy unfold as the victim appeared to become unresponsive during the descent.

"Authorities are investigating a fatal skydiving incident that occurred at West Plains Skydiving involving two jumpers during a scheduled group jump," ACSO said in a Facebook post.

CHAMPION SKYDIVER PLUMMETS TO DEATH DURING WINGSUIT JUMP

"On scene, Deputies learned of a mid-air collision resulting in one of the skydivers becoming deceased and the second sustaining injuries requiring additional treatment at a medical facility," the office added.

The victim was identified as Randy Hubbs, of the Kennewick area in southeastern Washington. The second skydiver was identified as Nicole Klein, of the Colville area.

According to authorities, staff members observed and tracked Hubbs from about 500 feet above ground level after the collision.

NASHVILLE SKYDIVING INSTRUCTOR DEAD AFTER FALLING WITHOUT PARACHUTE

Among the 11 individuals scheduled to participate in the jump operation, multiple staff members were able to observe and track Hubbs as the incident unfolded, officials reported.

Preliminary findings indicated that Hubbs became unresponsive after colliding with Klein, with witnesses reporting that his head and arms appeared to go limp following the impact.

"Following the collision, Randy Hubbs reportedly became incapacitated and was no longer in control of his parachute canopy," authorities said.

SKYDIVER PLUNGES TO DEATH IN FREAK ACCIDENT AFTER BOTH PARACHUTES FAIL

Hubbs then drifted north and away from the designated drop zone before disappearing beyond a hill to the northeast, officials said.

Adams County Dispatch later received reports of a medical emergency in the 2000 block of E. Schoessler Road involving two injured skydivers.

Deputies responded to the scene and investigated the incident. Hubbs was later released into the care of the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Officials added that weather conditions do not appear to have been a contributing factor in the incident.

West Plains Skydiving told local media both jumpers were experienced and using personally owned equipment. The company said Hubbs had completed more than 800 jumps, while Klein had completed about 900.

"We offer our deepest condolences to those impacted by this incident," ACSO said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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The recent indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) by the Department of Justice (DOJ) has spurred a flurry of interest over the last couple of weeks, including a House Judiciary Committee hearing focused on examining the "role that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has played in distorting civil rights policy in recent years."  

While it is unlikely the hearing will yield anything new, it will bring much-needed exposure to the malicious organization that has engaged in left-wing lawfare for years and corrupted our K-12 schools.  

For well over a decade, the SPLC has leveraged its status as a civil rights organization to convince school districts to use its Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) standards, resources and lessons in the name of "social justice." In fact, following the racial justice protests of 2020, prominent leftwing organizations, including the SPLC, seized on the opportunity to steamroll a far-left political agenda in K-12 education. 

The nonprofit’s programming has been sold to highly empathetic educators as vital to reducing "bias" and "hate," fixing the achievement gap and addressing mental health issues. The ideas being peddled by the SPLC — "anti-racism," "White privilege" and "Whiteness" — spread quickly throughout every facet of the K-12 education system via the Colleges of Education, activist teachers and administrators, associations, teachers unions and consultants. 

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN TAX MONEY GOES TO CONTRACTS FOR DEI GROUPS, WATCHDOG FINDS: 'TOTAL RACKET'

Currently, the SPLC’s influence on K-12 is massive but also difficult to quantify. Even though hundreds of districts use its content in lessons, in curricula, as resources on racial justice webpages, and have adopted the organization’s social justice standards, it is hard to nail down the totality of the organization’s impact.  

What also makes its use difficult to gauge is the undocumented use by teachers when they introduce Learning for Justice content as supplemental materials or use it to steer dialogue on controversial topics. 

Unfortunately, the influence operation does not end there.

For example, popular Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs such as Second Step, Panorama Education, and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence's (YCEI) RULER have integrated the SPLC’s lessons and standards into their curricula and platforms. Tens of thousands of districts across the country have contracts with these entities.

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE SLAMS CIF'S SHARED PODIUM RULE AS HUMILIATING RESPONSE THAT FAILS FEMALE COMPETITORS

Additionally, the far-left nonprofit’s programming and content are pushed through professional development, teachers unions, professional organizations such as the American School Counselor Association and the Association of Alaska School Boards, Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and state Departments of Education. 

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In reality, upwards of thousands of districts have knowingly and unknowingly played a role in the proliferation of divisive SPLC content that often shames children based on immutable characteristics like race and ethnicity and promotes a verifiable anti-Western ideology. Despite the claim that these concepts are meant to fight injustice, they actually create hostility, resentment and angst between individuals.  

Regardless of the legal outcomes that await the SPLC, the DOJ’s indictment of the left-wing nonprofit has brought long overdue attention to the organization. For years, the SPLC has enjoyed unquestioned credibility within the K-12 education system. Hopefully, the indictment, hearing and further exposure will bring into question the SPLC’s authority.

In the meantime, parents, community members and legislators need to investigate their own school districts for these politically biased content and materials. Moreover, school districts need to purge from lessons, curricula and resources any content that has originated from the organization. 

No child should be forced to learn from an organization that fights "bias" and "hate" by advancing their own biased left-wing ideology and labeling concerned parents as members of a hate group. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RHYEN STALEY

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At least 82 people were killed and more than 120 others hospitalized after a massive gas explosion ripped through a coal mine in China late Friday, according to the Associated Press (AP). Two people remained missing.

The catastrophic blast at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, located in China’s northern Shanxi province, marked the country’s deadliest mining disaster in recent years.

Local officials, who have launched an investigation into the incident, said they uncovered "serious violations" by the mine’s operator, Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group.

The explosion also triggered a wave of heightened safety inspections across China’s coal sector, tightening the supply outlook for coking coal and sending prices soaring Monday, according to Reuters.

EARTHQUAKE 50 MILES FROM MOUNT EVEREST LEAVES AT LEAST 95 DEAD IN TIBET

According to the AP, the explosion triggered a chaotic scene where thick smoke engulfed the mine and suffocated many victims underground.

One miner lost consciousness, while many others suffered from toxic gas exposure, the outlet added, citing state broadcaster CCTV.

The explosion has reportedly intensified scrutiny from Chinese officials, who said investigators found multiple violations at the site, though details remain unclear.

8 SKIERS FOUND DEAD, 1 MISSING AFTER MASSIVE LAKE TAHOE AVALANCHE

In 2024, China’s National Mine Safety Administration had previously classified the mine as disaster-prone due to its "high gas content," the AP reported.

State media also reported that blueprints provided by the mine did not match the site’s actual layout, complicating rescue operations, the outlet added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a full-scale effort to rescue those still missing and ordered a thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable, the AP said, citing official Xinhua News Agency.

SIBANYE WORKERS BEGIN TO SURFACE AFTER ACCIDENT AT SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINE

The state-run outlet later reported that company officials connected to the disaster had been "placed under control," according to the AP.

China has suffered a string of deadly mining disasters in recent decades even as officials have pledged to strengthen oversight of the sector.

In 2023, at least 53 people were killed in Inner Mongolia following reports of a collapse at an open-pit mine.

In 2009, a reported explosion at a coal mine in Heilongjiang province left 108 people dead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Body camera footage has captured the dramatic rescue of a baby trapped inside a vehicle stranded in rising floodwaters on Saturday as floodwaters appeared to sweep the car toward a creek in Beeville, Texas.

The incident, which occurred about 100 miles southeast of San Antonio, unfolded as heavy storms dumped rain across the region, rapidly turning roadways dangerous.

According to police, the sudden downpour overwhelmed a low-water crossing, catching a vehicle as it entered the crossing.

"Recently, officers and firefighters responded after a vehicle drove into a flooded creek crossing and began getting pushed by the rushing water," Beeville Police Department said in a Facebook post Saturday.

TEXAS RIVER FLOOD LEAVES AT LEAST 6 DEAD AS EMERGENCY CREWS RACE TO FIND OTHERS MISSING; CAMP EVACUATED

Officials warned that conditions deteriorated within minutes, noting that fast-moving rain left no time for barricades to be placed before the vehicle arrived at the crossing.

A fire chief assisting at the scene had attempted to flag down the driver, who ultimately did not see the crew in time, police said.

Footage shows the vehicle becoming stranded as water levels rapidly rose, reaching up to the top of its wheels. An officer in the video can also be heard reporting that the car was being pushed toward a creek by the surging water.

OFFICERS LOOK BACK ON HOW THEY REVIVED BABY TRAPPED UNDER CAR: 'THE LORD'S NOT DONE WITH HER'

As crews assessed the situation, the driver was heard screaming to a nearby officer that a baby was inside the vehicle.

The responding officer then ran through the floodwaters, opened the door, and pulled out the carriage containing the infant.

After carrying the baby back to safety, another responder was seen quickly using a jacket to shield the child from the continuing rain.

TEXAS FLOOD SURVIVORS SHARE HARROWING STORIES, SEARCH CONTINUES FOR THOSE STILL MISSING

"Thankfully, nobody was hurt," police said, indicating that the driver was also safely rescued from the vehicle.

Beeville police used the video as a stark warning about the dangers of floodwaters, stressing that "what may look passable one minute can quickly become dangerous the next."

"It does not take much moving water to push a vehicle off the roadway, and by the time you realize how dangerous it is, it can already be too late," the department said.

"If barricades are up around a roadway or crossing, please do not drive around them. They are there for a reason. Going around barricades not only puts lives at risk, but it is also a criminal offense."

Drivers are urged to slow down during heavy rain and avoid flooded areas, including creek crossings and other low-lying roadways.

"No errand, shortcut, or destination is worth risking your life or your family’s safety," police added.

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FIRST ON FOX: SULLIVAN, ME – Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner declined to apologize both to voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked by Fox News Digital about a deleted Reddit post where he said the wounded soldier "didn’t deserve to live."

Platner did not respond at first when asked outside a market near his home whether he regrets making the post, which Fox News Digital reported earlier this week showed him mocking a video of Pfc. Ted Daniels taken during a clash with Taliban fighters in 2012 that ended in Daniels being shot four times and being awarded a Purple Heart. 

"I did four tours in the infantry, any attempt to say that I disrespect veterans is slanderous and offensive," Platner said when asked follow-up questions about what he would say to any Maine voters who were offended by his post and if he should apologize to Daniels.

"Do you think you owe him an apology?" Fox News Digital asked again.

UNEARTHED POSTS SHOW DEM SENATE HOPEFUL PRAISING VULGAR GRAFFITI, MAKING CRUDE PORTA POTTY ADMISSION

"Do you know how many of my friends have Purple Hearts, do you know how many of my friends got wounded?" Platner responded, before adding, "yeah, a lot of them, thank you."

Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, sparked significant outrage online this week over the resurfaced Reddit post critics have said shows a lack of respect for his fellow soldiers.

"This video never gets old," Platner posted in June 2019 using the Reddit account "P-Hustle," which he has acknowledged owning, in reference to a viral video from the helmet Daniels was wearing while taking enemy fire.

WATCH: COLLINS RIPS MAINE CHALLENGER PLATNER OVER RESURFACED REDDIT POST MOCKING WOUNDED US SOLDIER

"Dumb motherf-----  didn't deserve to live. At least his stupidity and fat a-- wheezing are available for all future infantrymen to witness and hold in contempt. Poor marksmanship on the Taliban's part is the only reason this mouthbreather made it home. He managed to make every possible s--- decision possible when it comes to small unit combat." 

Rob O’Neill, the U.S. Navy SEAL who is credited with killing Usama bin Laden, was one of many veterans to speak out in response to the post. 

"Mr. Platner was way out of line talking about a soldier that way," O’Neill  told Fox News Digital about the controversy on Thursday.

PLATNER’S BRUTAL ATTACKS ON ARMY SOLDIERS AS ‘FAT, LAZY’ REVEALED IN RESURFACED POSTS

"This is completely barbaric," O’Neill added. "I don't understand. If you swear an oath to the country, it doesn't even matter what the politics are. Every single time you fight it's for the man next to you, it’s for the person next to you. Politics goes out the window. And to wish ill on someone like that under fire is just, you know, like I said, it is the opposite of everything I've ever been raised to believe." 

Platner has previously leaned into his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to explain the numerous incendiary social media posts that have surfaced since he announced his Senate run.

"For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry," Platner said in October before the post about Daniels, and other posts disparaging the military, were public.

"I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today."

Daniels himself reacted to the post, telling Fox Business, "People like this don't say stuff like this to my face."

"It's online, and that right there tells me, Graham, you're a coward."

Platner became the Democrats' presumptive nominee after his rival for the nomination, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, ended her campaign last month after trailing Platner in polling and fundraising.

The Democratic Senate Primary in Maine will be held on June 9, where Platner will appear on the ballot alongside Democrat David Costello to earn the right to face off against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

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