Trump drops jaws with support for Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘moral dumpster fire’ attack ad

Trump drops jaws with support for Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘moral dumpster fire’ attack ad President Trump has heaped praise onto the ad, even claiming: ‘I only wish I could have had an ad like that against somebody’ - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in President Trump’s praise for a Republican campaign ad dubbed a “moral dumpster fire” by critics has drawn widespread condemnation. The ad, which was part of Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign, features the mother of his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. Acton has been estranged from her mother, Donna Arthur, since she was a child – when police stepped in over allegations Acton’s stepfather sexually abused her. The Democrat said in a statement that her mother “did nothing to protect me.” Speaking to voters on Thursday at a rally in Iowa, Trump shared that he had spoken to Ramaswamy about the ad in which Arthur brands her own daughter a “liar.” Speaking about critics from across the political spectrum calling for the ad to be taken down, Trump said: “No. The mother is calling the daughter a terrible person and a liar.” “Everybody should be so lucky,” Trump added. “Why would you shield somebody from that? Why would we do that?” “So I told him, leave it up and look upstairs and say: ‘Thank you, God, very much; I appreciate it.’” Then, the commander-in-chief began praising the ad, despite it sparking bipartisan backlash. “I only wish I could have had an ad like that against somebody, but as it turned out, we didn’t need it,” he declared. “We won all seven swing states, we won the popular vote, we won everything.” Trump has doubled down on his defense of the ad, with CBS News journalist Kathryn Watson reporting on X that the president was asked if he had changed his mind about the video in light of the allegations against Acton’s stepfather. “No, no. It's a mother speaking badly about Amy Acton. And to me it's very easy,” he began, before interrupting a journalist, who pointed out that Acton and her mother had not spoken for 50 years. “I don’t care,” he said, interrupting again when the journalist claimed that Arthur stood by the stepfather. “Look, you don't know that. You don't know that.” “You don't know anything. Her mother stood by, didn't stand by,” he said. “Her mother went on television and said that the daughter who's running for governor of Ohio is a liar and a bad person. That's all I know." Trump’s response to the ad has been widely criticized. David Axelrod, a former Democratic strategist, said that the ad could damage the GOP as a whole. “@realDonaldTrump‘s credo: Never, EVER admit an error or a wrong. Full speed ahead!” he claimed on X. “The despicable @VivekGRamaswamy ad is a moral dumpster fire which will not only engulf his campaign but the entire @GOP, if it follows the lead (sic) a deeply unpopular president.” On Thursday’s episode of CNN’s The Source, anchor Kaitlan Collins pointed out that prominent Republicans were distancing themselves from the ad. “It’s actually kind of hard to find a prominent Republican who is defending the ad other than Vivek Ramaswamy himself, Vice President JD Vance and, quite fervently today, President Trump,” Collins said. The Seneca Project, an organization established to campaign for women’s rights, tore into Trump’s praising of the ad in a fiery statement on X. “Trump is thanking God for one of the most heinous political attack ads in history exploiting the estranged mother of childhood rape victim Amy Acton ..and the crowd applauds,” the statement reads. “What the hell is wrong with these people?” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments