Trump backs Ramaswamy in furor over Ohio governor attack ad

President Donald Trump defended a controversial Ohio gubernatorial campaign ad by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features Democratic rival Amy Acton’s estranged mother attacking her character. Speaking Friday as he left the White House, Trump dismissed questions about Acton’s allegations that her stepfather sexually abused her as a child and argued the spot was fair game. The ad has ignited backlash in both parties, with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calling it “deeply, deeply troubling” and urging Ramaswamy’s campaign to stop airing it. Acton has said she and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody and that she has not spoken to her mother since she was 12. Trump also posted a defense of the ad a day earlier and said he advised Ramaswamy to “ride with it.”