President Donald Trump on Friday continued to defend an attack ad by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.1,6
The advertisement shows Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, saying that her daughter has lied about her past and her struggles growing up. Acton has said her mother stood by the man who was criminally charged with sexually abusing her as a child. Ramaswamy's campaign said it was spending $4 million to promote the ad, and several Republicans have criticized it, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.1,6,7
As he left the White House on Friday morning, Trump repeatedly dismissed questions about the specific allegations, saying at several points that the ad has "nothing to do" with Acton's stepfather. "It's a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton. And, to me, it's very easy," Trump said when asked about the ad. "This has nothing to do with a stepfather or anything else," he said.1
Acton has alleged that her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. The stepfather, who died in 2004, was criminally charged and pleaded not guilty. According to court records and an interview with Acton's mother, he fled the state with Acton's mother before trial and never appeared before a judge. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, has supported her account.1,6,7
Acton has said she has not spoken to her mother since she was 12 years old. Pressed on the estrangement, Trump said, "I don't care. If it were my mother speaking badly about me, you'd be making it the number one story on the news." He called Arthur a "smart woman" and said he did not "know anything about" the stepfather.1
Trump had defended the ad on Thursday in a social media post, writing that it was "powerful" and that he himself would run such an ad. In the post he called Acton "a liar, and much worse," and wrote: "The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to 'take down the Ad.' 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."1,6
At a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, that night, Trump said he had advised Ramaswamy to "ride with it." "When I first saw it, I said, 'Wow, that means Vivek easily will win the race,'" he recalled. Iowa Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who shared the stage with Trump at the rally, had condemned the ad hours earlier and told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that "they should take the ad down."1,6
DeWine told reporters at the Ohio Statehouse on Thursday that the ad is "deeply, deeply troubling." "It's wrong to run this ad," he said. "And, even at this late time — my wife, Fran, saw the advertisement just run this morning on TV — I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down."1,7
In his social media post, Trump called DeWine a "RINO," or Republican-in-name-only, and wrote that DeWine "was, as usual, disloyal to the Republican Party." Vice President JD Vance, who campaigned with Ramaswamy in Ohio on Wednesday, said he was "a little bit disgusted" by Republicans "whining more about that advertisement" than about what congressional Democrats want to do. He did not address the ad's content.6,7
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told CNN on Wednesday that "this ad is going to go down as the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season."6
Acton has called the ad "horrible and hideous" and, at a campaign event on Wednesday, described it as "despicable" and "an exploitative thing to do." Her brother, Philip Stearns, called it a "desperate, disgusting attack" on Tuesday, and Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Ramaswamy's decision to promote it "both despicable and entirely predictable."1,6,7
Ramaswamy addressed the ad at a campaign event on Friday. "We ran an ad about lying. Amy Acton is lying," he said. "The irony is, they are lying about an ad that is about lying. That is the truth of the matter. It had nothing to do with childhood abuse." The remarks were captured in audio provided by Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS. Opinion polls suggest Acton is narrowly leading Ramaswamy in a tight race to replace the term-limited DeWine.1,6,7
Former Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, told Politico that the ad "crosses the line." "I hope the ad will be taken down and the final days of the campaign will focus on policy differences," he added.6
