President Trump on Thursday praised a "very powerful ad" from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad features the estranged mother of Democratic candidate Amy Acton. Trump also told Ramaswamy to keep it running 1.
The ad first circulated on social media on Monday and is now on television. In it, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, calls her daughter a "liar" 1. Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed Tuesday that it made the one-minute video. It says it will spend $4 million to promote it online and on TV 2.
Trump: 'It's called hitting pay dirt'
Trump posted on Truth Social that he suggested Ramaswamy keep the ad up. He wrote that the press is trying to convince everyone the ad is bad "because it's so good!" 1.
I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt.'
Trump's post did not mention why Acton and her mother are estranged 1. Court documents provided by Acton's campaign say Arthur's late husband was charged with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12 years old. He pleaded not guilty and left the area while out on bond. The case never went to trial 1.
Reporters later told Trump that backstory on the White House South Lawn. He answered, "Well I know nothing about it" 1.
DeWine and other Republicans object
Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, told reporters the campaign should pull the ad. He did not withdraw his endorsement of Ramaswamy 1.
It's wrong to run this ad.
Trump responded by attacking DeWine in his post. He called him a "RINO," short for "Republican in name only," and accused him of being disloyal to the party 1.
Other Republicans have also distanced themselves. Sen. John Husted, who is up for reelection, said he "would not have run that ad." Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina called it the "most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season" 1. Vice President JD Vance defended the ad and said critics should "stop whining" 1.
Acton's family responds
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, said Ramaswamy tried to turn the sexual abuse he says Amy endured at age 12 into a political talking point. He said their birth mother "stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died" 1.
Acton condemned the ad before the campaign confirmed it made it. She told Spectrum News: "I won't normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I'm complaining about" 2.
What happens next
The ad is set to keep running. The Ramaswamy campaign has said it will put $4 million behind it 2. More than 676,000 Ohioans had already voted as of Wednesday's report, so some ballots were cast before this latest turn 2.
That matters because the fight is now between a sitting Republican governor and a Republican president, over a family's account of child abuse. The ad's defenders have offered little response to the court record Acton's campaign has released 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.
The Record
- Cledith Arthur was charged with raping his stepdaughter, Amy Acton, then 12; he pleaded not guilty and the case never went to trial 21.
- Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed it produced the ad and will spend $4 million to promote it 2.
- Trump praised the ad and told Ramaswamy to keep it up; DeWine urged the campaign to take it down 1.
Sources
- CBS News, “Trump praises "powerful" Ramaswamy ad featuring Acton's mother” (2026-10-22). cbsnews.com/news/ramaswamy-ad-amy-acton-mother-trump/
- AP via PBS NewsHour, “Ramaswamy campaign says it produced ad with Amy Acton's mother and will spend millions to promote it” (2026-10-21). pbs.org/newshour/politics/ramaswamy-campaign-says-it-produce
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