President Donald Trump has publicly backed a controversial campaign advertisement aired by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, encouraging the candidate to keep the spot on television despite widespread criticism from fellow Republicans and Democrats.
The political advertisement, which initially surfaced on social media before transitioning to television broadcasts, features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. In the spot, Arthur labels her daughter a "liar" and attempts to undermine her credibility as she campaigns for governor. The campaign of Acton strongly condemned the broadcast, while her brother, Philip Stearns, publicly denounced the political commercial as a "despicable low."
Releasing statements on Social Media via Truth Social, Trump defended the commercial and disclosed that he personally advised Ramaswamy not to pull it. Trump asserted that media outlets were attempting to persuade the public that the spot was problematic "because it's so good!" He described the spot as a "very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is a liar, and much worse." Trump added that under normal circumstances, a mother speaking about her daughter in such a manner would prevent that candidate from holding public office.
Trump acknowledged in subsequent comments that he was unaware of the backstory behind the family's estrangement and did not address it in his social media posts. Court documents released by Acton's campaign show that Arthur's now-deceased husband was previously charged with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12 years old. The accused man pleaded not guilty and fled the area while released on bond, leaving the case unresolved as it never proceeded to trial.
Reacting to the broadcast, Stearns criticized Ramaswamy for exploiting his sister's childhood trauma for political gain. Stearns stated it was not surprising that Ramaswamy had "stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point." He added that their birth mother remained married to the accused man until his death, calling the ad a "desperate, disgusting attack" that reveals Ramaswamy is "a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."
The ad has created significant friction within the Republican Party. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged the Ramaswamy campaign to withdraw the commercial, telling reporters that "it's wrong to run this ad," though DeWine did not revoke his endorsement of Ramaswamy. Trump responded by directly attacking DeWine on Truth Social, calling him a "RINO Governor" who was "disloyal to the Republican Party." Trump claimed he previously saved DeWine's political career by holding a rally when DeWine was trailing by 16 points, alleging the governor "probably wants a Dumocrat to win."
Addressing a rally crowd in Iowa late Thursday, Trump doubled down on his support for the campaign message, recounting that he told Ramaswamy, "you gotta ride with it," and suggesting he should "Leave it up, and look upstairs and say, 'Thank you God, very much.'" "I'm defending it because I know that if that ad were about my mother, you would love it, you would love every inch of it," Mr. Trump added. Trump also expressed a wish that the mothers of his own political opponents would come forward to accuse their children of lying, adding, "Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt.'"
Vice President JD Vance also defended the commercial, suggesting that conservative critics ought to "stop whining." However, other figures in the GOP expressed disapproval or distance from the strategy. Ohio Republican Sen. John Husted, who is running for reelection, said he "would not have run that ad." Outgoing South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace labeled the broadcast the "most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season." Additionally, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose noted that while he "probably wouldn't run an ad like that," candidates ultimately retain the authority to decide their own campaign tactics.
