President Donald Trump defended Ohio’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, urging him to keep running an ad featuring the estranged mother of his opponent, Amy Acton.
Ramaswamy has come under fire for the ad blitz, which features Acton’s mother, Donna Stearns Arthur, criticizing Acton for “lying about her opponent” and “her past,” including claims that she “grew up living in a tent.” Some Republicans, including Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), have called on Ramaswamy to pull the ad campaign from television and digital video platforms.
Acton has not had a relationship with Stearns Arthur since 1978, after she and her brother were removed from her custody amid allegations that her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, raped Acton when she was 12 years old. Stearns Arthur and her husband eventually fled the state to avoid prosecution.
“Vivek Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is a liar, and much worse. The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to ‘take down the Ad,'” the president wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social Thursday afternoon. “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 claimed that if his mother “said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up. The Dumocrats would be totally supportive, and it would go down as the Ad of the Decade — Maybe the Century! It would win Awards for Excellence in Advertising.”
He specifically attacked DeWine over his criticism of the ad.
“He 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 wrote. I suggested, on the other hand, that 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 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 continued. “The fact is, Lyin’ Amy Acton, who I’ve never even heard of before, has been lying about Vivek for the entire Campaign. I know the real Vivek, he is a brilliant and outstanding person who will cut Taxes, stop Crime and, MAKE OHIO GREAT AGAIN. He will be a fantastic Governor!”
The minute-long spot, promoted on social media by third parties but not the Ramaswamy campaign, is hooked on Stearns Arthur’s claims that “Amy has a serious problem” and is a habitual liar. It has been viewed over 1 million times on social media.
‘STOP WHINING’: VANCE GOES AFTER REPUBLICANS CRITICIZING RAMASWAMY AD FEATURING OPPONENT’S ESTRANGED MOTHER
It prompted a response ad from Acton’s campaign, featuring her younger brother direct to camera.
“Shame on Vivek,” says Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns. “It’s the contempt he has for Amy. It’s the contempt he has for Ohio. He’s not fit to lead.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
