President Donald Trump has defended Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad targeting his Democratic rival, Amy Acton, while criticizing Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for urging Ramaswamy to take down the ad.
In a 60-second ad, Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, accuses her daughter of lying about her past and says she should not be entrusted with governing Ohio. The ad has drawn criticism for challenging Acton’s account of her childhood, including allegations of sexual abuse by her stepfather.
Acton has said she has not seen her mother in decades, after Arthur remained with her husband even after police intervened. Her stepfather was charged with rape but fled the state before standing trial. He died in 2004. Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, has supported her account, saying the siblings were removed from their mother’s custody.
Acton criticized the ad, calling it “despicable.”
READ: Nikki Haley calls Vivek Ramaswamy a ‘bad guy’ as Republicans rift deepens (October 23, 2026)
“I’ve never attacked his family. I would never do that,” she said at a campaign stop.
DeWine said family members had traditionally been considered off-limits in political campaigns. He added: “When you know the rest of the story, when you know the backstory, when you know that the husband of the mom was indicted by a grand jury after hearing testimony and that he took off along with the mother … and that two children never saw, I guess, the mother after that — when you know that, it just to me makes it more serious. It makes it just more wrong.”
Trump, however, accused DeWine of disloyalty to Republicans and urged Ramaswamy to continue broadcasting the ad across Ohio. He also suggested that DeWine wanted a Democrat to win the governor’s race.
“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!” Trump said.
“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,” Trump added in a post.
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy defends explosive ad featuring Ohio rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother (October 22, 2026)
Ramaswamy’s campaign has announced plans to spend $4 million to air the ad across the state.
Vice President JD Vance also defended Ramaswamy earlier this week. He said he was “disgusted” to see Republicans “whining” about the ads, adding that “politics is a tough business.”
The ad has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Former Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci wrote on X: “The floor may have just fallen out from under the Republican campaign for Ohio Governor. And any Republican who fails to distance themselves from this ad risks taking on water as well.”
A poll by VoteHub, released Thursday, showed Acton leading Ramaswamy by 1 percentage point, within the poll’s margin of error. The survey was conducted before the ad was released.
If Acton wins, she would become the first Democrat elected governor of Ohio in two decades.