Trump Defends Vivek Ramaswamy's 'Powerful' Amy Acton Attack Ad — As 1978 Court Records Support Democrat's Childhood Abuse Claims
The stepfather pleaded not guilty, fled as a fugitive and remained married to Arthur.
Oct. 23 2026, Published 3:57 p.m. ET
Donald Trump is defending Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's controversial attack ad targeting Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, calling the spot "very powerful" and urging Ramaswamy to keep it on the air.
The ad features Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, criticizing her daughter and calling her a liar. Ramaswamy's campaign has reportedly committed $4 million to airing the spot on television and online.
Acton has said the campaign is exploiting painful events from her childhood for political gain.
Court records from 1978, however, provide documentation supporting a central part of her account: Her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was indicted and charged with raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter.
Trump Urges Ramaswamy To Keep AD Running While Vance Comes In Support Too
Acton’s stepfather was arrested in 1978 over allegations of raping her at age 12.
Trump addressed the controversy on Truth Social on Thursday, October 22, arguing that the media was mounting a coordinated effort to force Ramaswamy to pull the advertisement.
He said he had told Ramaswamy to "keep it up" and argued that a mother's criticism of her daughter could influence voters. Trump also attacked Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who had urged Ramaswamy to remove the ad and called it "deeply, deeply troubling."
Vice President JD Vance also defended the campaign's decision. Speaking in Ohio Wednesday, Vance criticized Republicans who were objecting to the advertisement and told them to "stop whining" and focus on winning the election.
Ad Targets Acton's Account Of Childhood Abuse
Trump called Ramaswamy’s ad “very powerful” and urged him to keep it on the air.
The advertisement centers on Arthur's rejection of Acton's account of her childhood.
Acton has said she and her brother were removed from their mother's custody when she was 12 after she accused her stepfather of sexual abuse and described severe abuse and neglect.
Records supplied by Acton's campaign show that Cledith Arthur pleaded not guilty after being charged. He later failed to appear in court, and a warrant was issued for his arrest in October 1978, according to PolitiFact.
A warrant was reissued in 1981. The campaign says he never stood trial.
Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, has backed her account and appeared in a campaign response video. He criticized Ramaswamy for turning allegations of sexual abuse into a political attack.
Republicans Split Over Ramaswamy's Strategy
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JD Vance defended the ad, while other prominent Republicans criticized it.
The advertisement has exposed a sharp divide among Republicans. DeWine has called for its removal, while Sen. Jon Husted and Secretary of State Frank LaRose have said they would not have run it.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has also criticized Ramaswamy over the spot.
DeWine, who previously worked with Acton when she led the Ohio Department of Health, said his experience with her was that she told the truth.
Ramaswamy's campaign has continued to defend the ad, with Trump and Vance backing the candidate's decision to keep it running.
The controversy comes less than two weeks before Ohio voters head to the polls on November 3, putting the candidates' campaign tactics and the decades-old family history at the center of an increasingly contentious governor's race.
