President Donald Trump has escalated tensions within the Ohio Republican Party by publicly turning on outgoing Governor Mike DeWine after the governor criticized a controversial campaign advertisement featuring the estranged mother of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton.
In an extensive social media post, Trump defended Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s decision to air the commercial, which accuses Acton of fabricating aspects of her childhood. Trump lashed out at members of his own party who have urged Ramaswamy to pull the ad, singling out DeWine for sharp criticism.
“Our RINO Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who I unfortunately helped get elected years ago,” Trump wrote, accusing the governor of disloyalty to the Republican Party. Trump further suggested that DeWine opposed Ramaswamy out of concern that the nominee would outperform him, claiming the governor “probably wants a Dumocrat to win.”
The commercial centers on Donna Arthur, Acton’s estranged mother, who appears in the spot to dispute her daughter’s accounts of hardship and abuse during childhood. However, contemporaneous reporting and official court records corroborate key elements of Acton’s public background, including documented allegations that her stepfather sexually assaulted her at age 12.
The advertisement has sparked bipartisan backlash, drawing condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans. Among its critics is DeWine, who previously appointed Acton to serve as Ohio’s health director during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the widespread criticism, Trump characterized the ensuing public outcry as proof that the advertisement is achieving its intended electoral objective. Revealing that he advised Ramaswamy to maintain the campaign, Trump described Acton as a “defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate.”
“Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would, it’s called, ‘hitting pay dirt,'” Trump declared, while praising Arthur for her participation and asserting that she was helping protect Ohio from a poor electoral choice. Furthermore, Trump accused news media organizations of orchestrating coordinated attacks against Ramaswamy and dismissed negative coverage of the commercial as politically motivated.
Acton has strongly condemned the campaign strategy, accusing Ramaswamy of weaponizing her painful family history for political advantage. As the campaign heads toward Election Day, Acton is vying to become the first elected female governor in Ohio’s history, while the current controversy has laid bare deep fractures among state Republicans as Ramaswamy works to close Acton’s lead in recent public opinion polls.
