A governor of his own party asked for the advertisement to be withdrawn, and the President answered by insisting it stay on the air, so that a private wound from decades ago has become a public weapon in an Ohio election. At the center stands a daughter who says she was abused as a child, and a mother whose marriage to the accused man was never tested in court. The story asks what a campaign owes to the people whose pain it borrows, and whether political power can still tell the difference between a rival's record and a family's grief.
Trump Backs Ramaswamy's Ad Featuring Acton's Estranged Mother as GOP Critics Push Back
Amy Acton, who said she was raped between ages 10 and 12 by her mother's husband, is being publicly attacked through her estranged mother's ad, which her brother called a 'despicable low.'
"Who wouldn't use such an Ad?" Trump wrote of the estranged mother's attack
Mark
Why is this ad drawing criticism from inside the Republican Party, not just from Democrats?
Mimi
Because of what sits behind it. Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, calls her a liar, but court documents the campaign provided show Arthur's late husband was charged with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12. The ad leaves that history out of view.
Mark
Who has pushed back?
Mimi
Gov. Mike DeWine said it's wrong and asked for it to come down, though he kept his endorsement. Sen. John Husted said he wouldn't have run it. Frank LaRose said he probably wouldn't, but called it each candidate's choice. Nancy Mace was the harshest.
Luke
Worth being exact about the case. The charge is documented in court records, but he pleaded not guilty and it never went to trial. The abuse account is Acton's own, and the reporting doesn't say otherwise.
Mark
And Trump's position?
Mimi
He called the ad powerful, told Ramaswamy to keep it, and attacked DeWine. Vance told critics to stop whining.
Luke
Notice what Trump said when asked directly. He said he knew nothing about the backstory. His first post didn't mention it. So his defense rests on the mother's words, not on any examination of them.
Mark
What does the family say?
Mimi
Her brother, Philip Stearns, says their birth mother stayed married to the man until he died, and calls the ad a despicable low.
Luke
That's a family member's statement, from a campaign-aligned side. The court documents came through the campaign too. Still unknown: whether the ad changes any votes, and whether Ramaswamy pulls it.
Mark
So what's the thing to watch?
Mimi
Whether more Ohio Republicans break away before November.
O Pulso
- A campaign ad turning an estranged mother against her own daughter has ignited a fight that is spilling across the Ohio Republican Party.
- Governor Mike DeWine has demanded the ad come down, and President Trump has publicly branded him a RINO and urged the ad to keep running.
- Acton's brother calls the ad a despicable low, and the abuse allegation underneath it, never tried in court, is being thrown back into the open.
- Republicans are split between quiet discomfort from figures like Husted and LaRose and open defense from Vance, while Trump doubles down at a rally in Iowa.
- The question now is whether more Ohio Republicans will break ranks and whether the controversy will reshape the governor's race before November.
A governor of his own party asked for the advertisement to be withdrawn, and the President answered by insisting it stay on the air, so that a private wound from decades ago has become a public weapon in an Ohio election. At the center stands a daughter who says she was abused as a child, and a mother whose marriage to the accused man was never tested in court. The story asks what a campaign owes to the people whose pain it borrows, and whether political power can still tell the difference between a rival's record and a family's grief.
On Thursday, President Trump took to Truth Social to defend a campaign ad that Ohio's Republican governor had just asked be pulled. The ad, run by Vivek Ramaswamy, features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. In it, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and tries to undermine her credibility. Trump called it very powerful and said he had told Ramaswamy to keep it going.
The ad first ran on social media and has since reached television. Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, called it a despicable low. Court records show that Arthur's late husband was charged with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12. He pleaded not guilty, left the area on bond, and the case never went to trial. Stearns said their mother stayed married to the man until he died.
Governor Mike DeWine said the ad was wrong and urged that it be taken down, though he kept his endorsement. Senator John Husted and Secretary of State Frank LaRose also expressed discomfort, while Vice President Vance told critics to stop whining. Trump answered with attacks of his own, calling DeWine a RINO and wishing that his opponents' mothers would be as brave. Asked by CBS's Weijia Jiang why anyone should listen to the mother, he said he knew nothing of the backstory.
At a rally in Iowa, Trump urged Ramaswamy to ride it out. Stearns had already warned that his sister's childhood abuse was being turned into a political talking point. What happens next depends on whether more Republicans speak up and whether the ad stays on the air as November approaches.
On Thursday, President Trump went on Truth Social to defend a campaign ad that Ohio's own Republican governor had just asked to be pulled. The ad, run by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, features Donna Arthur, the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. In it, Arthur calls her daughter a "liar" and tries to undermine her credibility. Trump called it a "very powerful ad" and said he had told Ramaswamy to keep it running.
The ad first circulated on social media on Monday and has since moved to television. Acton's campaign condemned it. Her brother, Philip Stearns, called it a "despicable low." Court documents the campaign provided show that Arthur's late husband was charged with raping Acton, who has said it happened 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. Stearns said their birth mother stayed married to the man until he died.
Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that it was wrong to run the ad and urged the Ramaswamy campaign to take it down. He did not rescind his endorsement. Other Republicans also distanced themselves. Sen. John Husted, who is seeking reelection in Ohio, said he would not have run it. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose told a local ABC station he probably wouldn't run an ad like that, though he said every candidate gets to make that decision. Outgoing Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina called it the "most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season."
Vice President JD Vance and Trump went the other way. Vance said Republicans criticizing the ad should "stop whining." In his post, Trump described the press as waging a "concerted and well coordinated attack" to force a takedown. He argued that a mother speaking about a daughter that way would normally preclude the daughter from serving in office, let alone as governor. His post made no mention of why Acton and her mother are estranged.
He was then asked about it on the White House South Lawn. Reporters told him the backstory, that Acton's mother stayed married to the man charged with raping her. CBS News senior White House reporter Weijia Jiang asked why anyone should listen to what the mother has to say. Trump replied that he knew nothing about it, only that the mother had said very bad things about Acton, and that Ramaswamy was great. He said he was defending the ad because, in his words, if it were about his mother, the press would love every inch of it.
Trump also turned on DeWine in the post, calling him a "RINO" and saying he was disloyal to the party. He wrote that he had unfortunately helped DeWine get elected years ago, when DeWine was losing by 16 points before Trump held a rally for him. He suggested DeWine probably wants a Democrat to win. He added that he wished the mothers of his own opponents would be so brave as to come forward. "Who wouldn't use such an Ad?" he wrote. "I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt.'"
At a rally in Iowa late Thursday, Trump kept at it. He said he had told Ramaswamy, "you gotta ride with it," and to leave it up and look upward to say, "Thank you God, very much."
Stearns's statement earlier in the week framed the stakes for the family. He said Ramaswamy had turned the sexual abuse Acton endured at twelve into a political talking point, and called the attack desperate and disgusting.
What to watch next is whether more Ohio Republicans break with Ramaswamy, and whether the ad stays on the air as the race heads toward November.
Citações Notáveis
It's wrong to run this ad. I would urge Ramaswamy's campaign to take this down.— Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
Our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died.— Philip Stearns, Amy Acton's brother
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em CBS News ↗
Politics & Governance