U.S. President Donald Trump (R) greets Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (L) during an election rally at the Covelli Centre on Oct. 12, 2026 in Youngstown, Ohio.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Thursday defended a controversial campaign ad by Vivek Ramaswamy featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent in the Ohio gubernatorial race.
Trump's defense of the ad came after widespread bipartisan backlash to it because, among other things, Acton's stepfather had been charged with raping her when she was a child and was married to Acton's mother.
In the ad, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, says Acton has "lied her entire life."
"Don't vote for people who lie," Arthur says in the ad. "Don't let her become your governor. If you think she'll make your life better, you're fooling yourself. It will only get worse."
Acton has said she has not seen Arthur since she was 12 years old.
Trump, in a Truth Social post on Thursday, said, "Vivek Ramaswamy put up 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."
"The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to 'take down the Ad,' " Trump said. "Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor."
Trump also criticized Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for calling for the ad to be taken down, even as DeWine continued to support his fellow Republican Ramaswamy's candidacy to succeed him.
"The ad, on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling," DeWine said in a press conference earlier Thursday.
Trump said DeWine "probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn't want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing."
"I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals!" Trump said.
Ramaswamy's campaign has spent nearly $95,000 to air the ad so far, according to AdImpact, with more than 100 airings concentrated in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati — three of Ohio's biggest media markets.
Axio has reported that Ramaswamy's campaign had committed $4 million to air the ad.
Acton on Thursday said of the ad, "It was a horrible and hideous thing to do. A sad thing. And I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do."
"My mother is not well," Acton.
Her brother, Philip Stearns, told The New York Times in a statement earlier this week that he and Acton were removed from their mother's custody after their stepfather
Mr. Stearns, Dr. Acton's brother, said in a statement Tuesday that he and his sister were removed from their mother's custody after the arrest of their stepfather in 1978.
"Our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died," Stearns said. "This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core — a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."
— CNBC's Luke Fountain contributed to this article.
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