Key facts
- Trump urged Ramaswamy to keep an ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother.
- The ad features Acton's mother calling her daughter "a liar."
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling."
- Ramaswamy's campaign plans to spend $4 million to air the ad.
President Donald Trump urged Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to continue running a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton, calling it "hitting pay dirt."
Trump's comments came after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine criticized the ad as "deeply, deeply troubling" and urged Ramaswamy to remove it. Trump denounced DeWine, suggesting the governor "probably wants a Dumocrat to win." Trump also posted on social media that Ramaswamy should "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!"
Ramaswamy's campaign plans to spend $4 million to air the ad, which features Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter "a liar." Acton has stated she has not seen her mother for decades following an abusive stepfather. Republican Senator Jon Husted and Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose also criticized the ad, though DeWine maintained his endorsement of Ramaswamy.