With midterm elections less than two weeks away, Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, whose campaign advertisement has ignited a firestorm by exploiting a family dispute rooted in allegations of sexual abuse.
On Thursday, October 22, the president said he saw nothing wrong with the shocking ad, declaring that “anything goes.” Ramaswamy—a former 2024 presidential candidate—will be a “fantastic governor” of Ohio, and his campaign spot is “very powerful,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
A Tight Race Centered on Personal Trauma
The contest, which polls suggest is extremely close, pits Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton in one of the many races scheduled for the November 3 elections.
In the video, Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, accuses her daughter of being “a liar” who has “lied her whole life.” Acton maintains that her biological mother turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her stepfather.
“Don’t let her become your governor,” Donna Arthur says in the ad, effectively endorsing Ramaswamy, a biotechnology billionaire and former Republican primary contender.
Trump Attacks Ohio’s Republican Governor
Trump labeled Ohio’s outgoing Republican governor, Mike DeWine, “disloyal” after DeWine called for the ad to be pulled—a move the Democratic opposition has described as particularly disgraceful.
“I suggest, on the contrary, that Vivek keep it and that everyone be able to hear the mother of a failing, dishonest and incompetent candidate explain just how much of a DISASTER her daughter is,” the Republican leader wrote.
“Anything Goes”
Reporters later questioned the president at the White House about Acton’s accusations against her mother and stepfather. “I don’t know anything about that,” Trump said, adding, “I have no idea.” He then declared: “Anything goes.”
“I defend him because I know that if this ad were about my mother, you would love it; you would appreciate every detail,” Trump added. Vice President JD Vance also validated the advertisement, saying Republicans criticizing the video should “stop complaining.”
The 80-year-old billionaire, who is holding rallies across the country, is signaling his intent to steer the Republican Party toward a highly aggressive posture ahead of the midterms, which could cost his party control of Congress in Washington and several emblematic governorships.
Acton Responds With Her Own Account
The Democratic candidate responded to her mother’s video by recounting that she and her brother experienced “abuse, hunger, and abandonment” during their childhood.
“We lived in fear of our biological mother’s violent and unpredictable nature,” she wrote, adding: “Between the ages of 10 and 12, I was sexually abused by her husband, while my biological mother did nothing to protect me.”
Acton claims her stepfather was subsequently arrested and charged with rape before fleeing the state with his wife and being declared a fugitive.
- Trump’s endorsement underscores his willingness to embrace confrontational tactics ahead of the November 3 midterms.
- The Ohio governor’s race has become a flashpoint over the boundaries of political advertising.
- Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has called for the ad to be withdrawn, drawing Trump’s ire.
