Trump Backs Ramaswamy Ad Featuring Rival's Estranged Mother, Urges Him to Keep It Running

Controversy has grown further over an attack advertisement in the Ohio gubernatorial race in the United States. President Donald Trump has now sided with Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over the ad and advised him to keep running it, despite criticism from within his own party.

In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said Ramaswamy should keep running the advertisement. The ad features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton, who disputes her daughter's account.

In the advertisement, Donna Arthur questions her daughter's description of her childhood. Acton has spoken of experiencing homelessness in childhood and of being sexually abused by her stepfather; her mother disputes that account and urges Ohioans not to vote for her daughter. Bringing such a personal and sensitive matter into an advertisement is what sparked the controversy.

Acton's side says she has not seen her mother since 1978. Acton's brother, meanwhile, has supported his sister's account — backing her statement that she was sexually abused by her stepfather as a child. The stepfather, who died in 2004, had been charged with rape.

Trump said in his post that anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in office. The president's remark has pushed the controversy further onto the national stage.

In the same post, Trump also attacked Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. DeWine had advised Ramaswamy to take down the advertisement; Trump labelled him 'disloyal' to the Republican party. The president's stance against his own party's sitting governor has also exposed divisions within the party.

Speaking to reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, DeWine recalled the painful experiences of rape victims he dealt with as a county prosecutor and state attorney general. He said it is wrong to run this ad, noted that his wife Fran had seen it run on television that morning, and urged the Ramaswamy campaign to take it down even at this late stage.

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, called the advertisement a 'desperate, disgusting attack'. Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Ramaswamy's decision to promote it 'both despicable and entirely predictable'. The Democratic camp's reaction has heated the issue further.

Vice President JD Vance, campaigning on Wednesday with Ramaswamy and Republican US Senator Jon Husted, brushed aside the blowback. Vance, a former senator from Ohio, expressed disgust with Republicans 'whining' about the advertisement as low and in poor taste. In short, the Trump camp's top leaders remain firmly behind the ad.

Ramaswamy's campaign said it was spending $4 million to promote the advertisement. Opinion polls suggest Acton is narrowly leading Ramaswamy in a tight race to replace the term-limited DeWine. The ad, therefore, is not coming down despite the controversy, and Ohio's gubernatorial campaign looks set to intensify further.