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

Trump advises the Republican gubernatorial candidate to keep running the controversial .US President Donald Trump has backed Republican Vivek Ramaswamy amid controversy over an attack by the Ohio gubernatorial candidate against his Democratic rival.Trump said in a social media post on Thursday that Ramaswamy should keep running the that features Democratic candidate Amy Acton’s estranged mother.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3One killed in US shooting near mosque in Columbus, Ohiolist 2 of 3Trump commits more than $400m ahead of high-stakes midterm electionslist 3 of 3Trump defiant about midterm chances as he rallies for Republicans in Ohioend of listIn 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 says she has not seen her mother since 1978. Acton’s brother has supported 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 said.The US president also attacked Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who advised Ramaswamy to take down the , labelling him “disloyal” to the Republican Party.‘It’s wrong’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 said. “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.”Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, called the ⁠⁠a “desperate, disgusting attack”, while Acton campaign spokesperson Addie Bullock called Ramaswamy’s decision to promote it “both despicable and entirely predictable”.