'Vivek should keep it up': Trump defends Ramaswamy's controversial campaign ad targeting Amy Acton
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Vivek should keep it up': Trump defends Ramaswamy's controversial campaign ad targeting Amy Acton")
Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump Photograph: (AFP)
Trump backs Vivek Ramaswamy over a controversial Ohio campaign ad featuring rival Amy Acton's estranged mother, drawing criticism from both parties
US President Donald Trump on Thursday voiced support for Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, defending a controversial attack advertisement featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival, Amy Acton. The advertisement has drawn widespread criticism because it features Acton’s mother, whose husband was charged with sexually abusing Acton when she was a child. Ramaswamy has faced mounting backlash over the campaign ad and its portrayal of the family’s troubled history.
However, Trump defended the advertisement on his Truth Social platform, describing it as ‘very powerful’ and accusing the media of launching a ‘well coordinated attack’ to pressure Ramaswamy into withdrawing it. "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 wrote. "I only wish the mothers of my opponents would be so brave as to come forward and explain that their son or daughter is a liar, and much worse."
Trump, 80, added, “If my mother, the legendary Mary MacLeod Trump, said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up.” The controversy comes as political rhetoric intensifies ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, when voters will decide races for governorships, Senate seats and every seat in the House of Representatives, along with other congressional contests.
Ramaswamy, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur who challenged Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, is competing against Acton to become Ohio’s next governor. Acton is a physician by training and previously served as director of the state health department. In the campaign advertisement, Acton’s mother, Arthur, claims that her daughter has 'lied her entire life'.
Arthur’s husband fled before he could stand trial on the sexual assault charges and has since died. Acton has said she had not seen her mother since 1978. On Tuesday, Acton released a statement saying that she and her brother endured abuse, hunger, and neglect during their childhood.
The advertisement has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans. However, US Vice President JD Vance defended Ramaswamy, describing him as his ‘good friend’ while campaigning in Ohio, his home state. Earlier this month, Vance also highlighted other attack advertisements targeting Acton that accused her of having problems with alcohol.
