US President Donald Trump has defended Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial gubernatorial campaign ad, which has been widely derided by Republicans and features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Donna Arthur hasn't seen her daughter since she was removed from her custody when she was 12 – after her husband was arrested, charged and indicted for raping Acton, his stepdaughter. Arthur fled the state of Ohio with her husband and remained married to him until his death in 2004.
Trump said the backlash, including from the state's GOP governor Mike DeWine, is "a concerted and well coordinated attack" to convince Ramaswamy to take down the advertisement.
"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," Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social. "The 'Artificial' News has teamed up against him in order to damage, demean, and embarrass a Republican who is leading in the Polls."
Trump also denigrated DeWine, the outgoing governor who has endorsed Ramaswamy but clashed with Trump and Vance during the 2024 campaign, and accused him of being "disloyal to the Republican Party". The president insisted that DeWine "probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn't want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing".
Trump added: "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!"
The president said that taking part in the ad "took a lot of courage" for Arthur to do. "What she was really doing was saving Ohio from making a truly horrible choice!" Trump wrote. "The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it's so good! Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt'."
Trump's defense further intensified the controversy surrounding the ad in Ramaswamy's campaign. In the ad, Donna Arthur makes critical remarks about Amy Acton, which drew backlash from both Republicans and the public. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine had previously condemned the ad, but Trump accused him of being disloyal to the party.
Trump's post on Truth Social reaffirmed his support for Ramaswamy. He accused the media of deliberately trying to portray the ad negatively. The situation highlights the intensity of the political battle in the US ahead of the midterm elections.