# Trump Defends Ramaswamy's Amy Acton Ad > Trump backs Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad on Ohio rival Amy Acton, rebukes DeWine as 'RINO'. - Title: Trump Defends Ramaswamy's Amy Acton Ad · Newsweek | Shortify - Summary: 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… - Keywords: breaking, trump, vivek ramaswamy, amy acton, ohio governor, mike dewine, rino, attack ad, campaign ad, governor race, ohio politics, Defends - Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/ohio-governor-urges-ramaswamy-to-remove-amy-acton-attack-ad-just-wrong-12605882 - Published: 2026-10-22T15:28:38+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: breaking, trump, vivek ramaswamy, amy acton, ohio governor, mike dewine, rino, attack ad, campaign ad, governor race, ohio politics ## 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. ## Key takeaway 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'.