USAupdated 19m ago2 min read
Trump Defends Vivek Ramaswamy’s Controversial Amy Acton Ad Featuring Donna Arthur
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Trump defended Ramaswamy's ad, urging it stay on air as powerful. Ad features Acton’s estranged mother calling her a liar, triggering bipartisan GOP backlash.
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Trump backs the ad
President Donald Trump defended a controversial TV ad from Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling Acton a “liar,” and Trump said he himself would run such an ad: "Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt.'"
Trump attacked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine after DeWine told reporters in Columbus, Ohio that the ad is "deeply, deeply troubling" and urged Ramaswamy to "take it down," with Trump calling DeWine "disloyal to the Republican Party."
Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed it made the ad, and Trump said he advised Ramaswamy to keep it up even as Republicans called for removal.
Trump’s defense centered on his claim that he knew "nothing about" the backstory between Acton and her mother, while he argued the mother’s statements had to be taken "seriously" regardless.
The ad’s dispute unfolded with the Ohio governor’s race tied to the midterms, with the sources placing it less than two weeks before the November 3 elections.
Republicans split publicly
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urged Ramaswamy to take the ad down, telling reporters, "It’s just wrong," and adding he would urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take it down.
Vice President JD Vance brushed aside the blowback, telling reporters that he was "disgusted" by Republicans "whining more" about the advertisement than about what congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do.
Ashley Hinson condemned the ad as "absolutely terrible" and told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl that Ramaswamy should take it down.
Ramaswamy’s campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said, "We don't know what happened between Amy and her mother ... but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist," as the ad drew criticism from within the Republican Party.
Abby Vesoulis, a reporter for Mother Jones, said the ad was "a desperate attempt to somehow pull off a victory despite poor odds," framing the controversy as tied to broader anger about how the Trump administration handled the Epstein files.
What happens next
Trump told supporters in Iowa that he encouraged Ramaswamy to keep running the ad, saying, "You’ve got to ride with it", and he described a call from Ramaswamy about being "killed in the press." The Guardian reported that Iowa Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson broke with Trump by denouncing the ad, saying, "I think it’s absolutely terrible, and I think they should take the ad down," while Trump made no mention of Hinson’s criticism during his remarks. Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said his office was reviewing complaints about the Ramaswamy ad to see if it violated any state laws after he said he had received "complaints from various people."
Ramaswamy’s campaign spent $4 million to promote the ad, and the sources tied the spending to the push ahead of the November 3 midterms. The dispute also carried into the broader political stakes described in the sources, with the ad controversy framed as potentially affecting Republican unity and the outcome of races that could determine control of the upper chamber.