‘Fair Game’: Trump Weighs In On Ramaswamy’s Controversial Attack Ad

Interesting a, donald trump, gubernatorial race, ohio, vivek ramaswamy admin October 23, 2026 0 Comments

‘Fair Game’: Trump Weighs In On Ramaswamy’s Controversial Attack Ad

President Donald Trump threw his support behind a scorching attack ad targeting Democrat Amy Acton on Thursday, calling the Ohio gubernatorial candidate “fair game” even as the spot splintered his own party.

Trump urged Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy to keep the ad running, the Associated Press (AP) reported, and he turned his fire on Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who had encouraged pulling it.

“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 on social media.

Acton has led most recent surveys, with a New York Times/Siena poll placing her ahead 49% to 45% and a CNN/SSRS poll giving her an eight-point edge, Newsweek reported, though a co/efficient poll handed Ramaswamy a two-point lead. Cook Political Report considers the race a toss-up.

Ohio went for Trump by at least eight points in all three of his White House campaigns. (RELATED: Attack Ad Featuring Ohio Democrat’s ‘Abusive’ Mom Backfires On Vivek Ramaswamy)

The ad features Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, who tells viewers, “she is a liar; she lies about her past,” according to CBS News. Ramaswamy planned to spend $4 million airing it, the AP reported, yet his campaign declined to confirm whether it funded the spot, CBS News said.

Court records cited by the AP show authorities removed Acton from Arthur’s custody as a child after her stepfather was charged in 1978 with raping her, abuse authorities said began when she was 12.

DeWine, who has endorsed Ramaswamy, called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling.”

“It’s wrong to run this ad,” he told reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, the AP reported. Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted and Secretary of State Frank LaRose each said they would have steered clear of it. Vice President (and former Ohio Senator) JD Vance brushed off Republican critics as “whining,” while state GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou warned that “we are keeping score.”

Ramaswamy’s campaign held firm. Spokeswoman Connie Luck dismissed the outrage, noting that Acton had gone after Ramaswamy’s mother first. “We refuse to accept the media’s double standards,” she said in a statement to the AP.

Democrats closed ranks around Acton. Illinois first lady MK Pritzker donated $500,000 to her campaign over the ad, the AP reported, and former Trump rival Nikki Haley labeled Ramaswamy “a bad guy.” Early voting is already underway for the Nov. 3 election.