President Donald Trump is not letting Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial ad featuring his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother sway him from endorsing the Ohio politician.
Trump, 80, took to his Truth Social on Thursday, October 22, to publicly praise Ramaswamy.
“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.’ 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,” the former “Apprentice” host began. “If my mother, the legendary Mary MacLeod Trump, said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up. The Dumocrats would be totally supportive, and it would go down as the Ad of the Decade — Maybe the Century!”
Trump went on to say that the media’s response to Ramaswamy’s ad is a concerted effort to “damage, demean, and embarrass” the republican candidate for governor.
“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!” he continued. “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.”
Vivek’s Controversial Ad
Ramaswamy — who previously ran for president in 2024 — enlisted Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, to call out her daughter as a “liar.”
“She lies about her past…She’s lied her entire life,” Arthur said in a campaign ad first published on Monday, October 19.
The ad quickly gained traction, with many calling out Ramaswamy for drudging up childhood trauma experienced by his political opponent in a last ditch effort to garner votes.
It was later revealed that Acton and Arthur had been estranged since Acton was a child after Arthur lost custody of her children in 1978.
Acton accused her stepfather of sexual abuse. Despite the accusations and his arrest, Arthur stayed with her husband. He ultimately fled the state with his wife and was never prosecuted.
“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” Ramaswamy’s camp said in a statement after receiving backlash.
Amy Acton Responds
Acton responded to Ramaswamy’s attack, calling the move “despicable.”
“I’ve never attacked his family. I would never do that,” Acton said about Ramaswamy at the campaign stop on Wednesday evening. “You can see that there are so many people who have experienced trauma and abuse in their lives.”
Donald Trump Backs Vivek Ramaswamy After ‘Despicable’ Ad Targeting Opponent Amy Acton