From Newsweek · · 2m
Trump Defends Ramaswamy's Amy Acton Ad
Trump backs Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad on Ohio rival Amy Acton, rebukes DeWine as 'RINO'.
In brief
Trump backs Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad on Ohio rival Amy Acton, rebukes DeWine as 'RINO'. Trump defended Vivek Ramaswamy's ad attacking Amy Acton's character, urging her to remove it while criticizing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for calling the ad 'wrong'. Originally reported by Newsweek.
Trump defends Ramaswamy's ad
President Donald Trump defended Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign ad featuring Amy Acton's mother, calling it 'very powerful' and urging the ad to stay up.
“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.”
Trump calls ad 'Ad of the Decade'
Trump claimed the ad would 'go down as the Ad of the Decade, Maybe the Century' if it were to be widely shared.
“The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to 'take down the Ad'.”
DeWine criticizes ad
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called the ad 'wrong' and urged Ramaswamy to remove it, labeling him a 'RINO', Republican in name only.
“I would urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down. It’s just wrong.”
Ad features Acton's mother
The ad shows Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accusing her of lying and urging Ohio voters not to elect her in November.
“I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent, and it's not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy has a serious problem.”
Acton's background
Acton, former Ohio Department of Health director, has faced allegations of childhood sexual abuse and homelessness, with her stepfather charged with rape in 1978.
“She was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child and removed from her birth mother's custody at age 12.”
Ramaswamy campaign response
Ramaswamy's spokesperson Connie Luck stated DeWine's comments were irrelevant compared to the ad's impact on the race.
“We refuse to accept the media’s double standards when Democrats have regularly used family members of President Trump, RFK Jr., and other Republicans in ads.”
Republicans rebuke ad
Republicans like Meghan McCain and Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Renacci criticized the ad as 'dastardly' and urged Ramaswamy to pivot to policy discussions.
“This is a dastardly ad. It never should have been created. Shame on whatever consultant firm created this.”
Polling shifts
Recent polls show Amy Acton leading Vivek Ramaswamy by 2 percentage points in Ohio, with Acton at 50% to Ramaswamy's 48%.
“A Fox News poll showed Acton up 2 percentage points over Ramaswamy, 50 percent to 48 percent.”
Ramoswamy faces backlash
Ramaswamy's campaign faces criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for using the ad, with some calling him 'despicable' for attacking his opponent.
“Instead of focusing on the issues impacting Ohioans, he’s using gross tactics to attack his opponent.”
Trump's rally defense
Trump defended Ramaswamy's ad at an Iowa rally, saying he would 'only wish I could have had an ad like that against somebody'.
“The mother said horrible things about your opponent. Why can't I have that happen to me?”
Ramoswamy's ad impact
Acton's campaign raised $5 million from supporters to counter Ramaswamy's ad spending, claiming it was 'ugly and outright false'.
“We recently learned that Vivek Ramaswamy poured ANOTHER $5 million into his own campaign to help fill the airwaves with ugly and outright false attack ads.”
Ramoswamy's campaign strategy
Ramaswamy's team claims the ad was a strategic move to highlight Acton's past issues and gain support from voters concerned about her credibility.
“The ad features Arthur speaking directly to the camera about her daughter, urging Ohio voters not to elect Acton.”
The short version
Trump defended Vivek Ramaswamy's ad attacking Amy Acton's character, urging her to remove it while criticizing Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for calling the ad 'wrong'.
