Trump backs Ramaswamy ad featuring rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother

US President Donald Trump has backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy against the backdrop of controversy over an attack by the Ohio gubernatorial candidate against his Democratic rival.

Key points

• Vice President JD Vance, campaigning on Wednesday with Ramaswamy ⁠⁠and US Senator Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican, had brushed aside ⁠⁠the blowback.
• While Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Ramaswamy's decision to promote it "both despicable and entirely predictable", acton's brother, Philip Stearns, called the ⁠⁠a "desperate, disgusting attack".
• Trump remarked in a social media post on Thursday that Ramaswamy should keep running the that features Democratic candidate Amy Acton's estranged mother.
• Acton notes she has not seen her mother since 1978.
• The US president additionally attacked Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

In the, Donna Arthur, Acton's mother, disputes her daughter's account of a childhood involving homelessness and ⁠⁠sexual abuse by her stepfather, urging Ohioans not to vote for her.

Acton notes she has not seen her mother since 1978. Acton's brother has backed her account of being sexually abused by her stepfather when she was a child. The stepfather, who died in 2004, was charged with rape.

"Anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in office, " Trump remarked.

For context, the US president additionally attacked Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. This person advised Ramaswamy to take down the, labelling him "disloyal" to the Republican party.

At a gathering with reporters at the Ohio Statehouse, DeWine recalled the painful experiences of rape victims he dealt with as a county prosecutor and state attorney general.

"It's wrong to run this ad, " he remarked. "And, even at this late time – my wife, Fran, saw the just run this morning on TV – I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down."

Vance, a former senator from Ohio, expressed disgust with Republicans "whining" regarding the as low and in poor taste. Ramaswamy's campaign remarked it was spending $4m to promote the.

Opinion polls suggest Acton is narrowly leading Ramaswamy in a tight race to replace the term-limited DeWine.

For now, trump backs Ramaswamy ad featuring rival Amy Acton's estranged mother remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.