President Donald Trump on Thursday defended an ad from Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial campaign that features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton. Trump portrayed Acton as dishonest and said Ramaswamy had released a powerful spot with the mother making that accusation.
The advertisement drew bipartisan criticism because Acton’s stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged with raping her in childhood while married to Donna Arthur. Acton said she had not seen her mother since age 12. Cledith Arthur fled after arrest and remained a fugitive until his death in Pennsylvania in 2004.
Trump rejected appeals to withdraw the spot, including from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. DeWine, who still supports fellow Republican Ramaswamy to succeed him, called the ad deeply troubling at a Thursday press conference. Trump urged Ramaswamy to keep it running.
Ramaswamy’s campaign has spent nearly $95,000 on more than 100 airings in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, according to AdImpact, and says it committed $4 million to the ad. Acton described it as horrible and exploitative. Her brother Philip Stearns said the siblings were removed from maternal custody after the stepfather’s arrest, while former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said the ad crossed the line and should be taken down.