Trump tells Ramaswamy to keep running ad featuring rival's mother
The US president backed the Ohio Republican's advertisement targeting Democrat Amy Acton, which Governor Mike DeWine has urged him to pull.
At a glance
- Trump said on social media that Vivek Ramaswamy should keep running an ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother.
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who urged Ramaswamy to pull the ad, was called "disloyal" by Trump.
- Ramaswamy's campaign is spending $4m on the ad; polls show Acton narrowly leading the Ohio governor race.
US President Donald Trump has backed Vivek Ramaswamy in a dispute over a campaign advertisement by the Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate that features the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Amy Acton.
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said Ramaswamy should keep running the advertisement. In it, Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, disputes her daughter's account of a childhood that Acton has described as involving homelessness and sexual abuse by her stepfather, and urges Ohioans not to vote for her.
Acton says she has not seen her mother since 1978. Her brother, Philip Stearns, has supported her account of being sexually abused as a child by her stepfather, who died in 2004 and was charged with rape. Stearns called the advertisement a "desperate, disgusting attack".
DeWine urged ad be taken down
Trump also criticised Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who had advised Ramaswamy to take down the advertisement, labelling him "disloyal" to the Republican Party.
Speaking to reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, DeWine recalled the experiences of rape victims he dealt with as a county prosecutor and as state attorney general. "It's wrong to run this ad," he said. "And, even at this late time – my wife, Fran, saw the advertisement just run this morning on TV – I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down."
Trump, in his post, said: "Anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in office."
Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Ramaswamy's decision to promote the advertisement "both despicable and entirely predictable".
Vance dismisses blowback
Vice President JD Vance, campaigning with Ramaswamy and US Senator Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican, on Wednesday, brushed aside criticism of the advertisement, expressing disgust with Republicans "whining" about it as low and in poor taste.
Ramaswamy's campaign said it was spending $4m to promote the advertisement.
Opinion polls suggest Acton is narrowly leading Ramaswamy in a tight race to replace the term-limited DeWine.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What is the Ramaswamy advertisement about Amy Acton?
- It features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, disputing Acton's account of a childhood involving homelessness and sexual abuse by her stepfather, and urging Ohioans not to vote for her.
- Who has criticised the advertisement?
- Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged Ramaswamy to take it down, and Acton's brother Philip Stearns called it a "desperate, disgusting attack". Vice President JD Vance dismissed the criticism.
- What do polls say about the Ohio governor race?
- Opinion polls suggest Democrat Amy Acton is narrowly leading Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a tight race to replace term-limited Governor Mike DeWine.
