Obama condemns Ramaswamy's ad featuring Amy Acton's mother at Ohio rally

Barack Obama addressed a crowd in Ohio on Saturday, denouncing a campaign advertisement released by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother of Democratic health official Amy Acton. Obama said the ad crossed a moral line, adding, "In recent days, we've seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to."

Acton, who survived childhood abuse and homelessness, responded on stage, accusing Ramaswamy of exploiting her personal history for political gain and asserting that "decency still matters." She emphasized that her difficult upbringing shaped her resilience and warned that such tactics should not be tolerated in elections.

President Trump and Ohio Lieutenant Governor JD Vance defended the advertisement, while other Ohio Republican leaders, including Governor Mike DeWine, called for its removal. Obama also criticized President Trump’s focus on White House renovations, joking that the president seemed more interested in home improvement than policy.

The former president highlighted the broader stakes of the midterm contests, noting that voters can reject what he described as “chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence” by supporting Democratic candidates in key battleground states.