Obama attacks Ramaswamy's Ohio ad while Democrats rally around Acton
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Barack Obama used an Ohio rally to condemn Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over a campaign ad involving Amy Acton's estranged mother, even as Acton accused him of exploiting her story and President Trump and Ohio Lieutenant Governor JD Vance stood by the advertisement.
Barack Obama addressed a crowd in Ohio on Saturday and attacked a campaign advertisement released by Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother of Democratic health official Amy Acton. Obama claimed the ad crossed a moral line, saying, "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, replied on stage by accusing Ramaswamy of using her personal history for political advantage and declaring that "decency still matters." She said her difficult upbringing strengthened her resilience and warned that such attacks should not be accepted as normal campaign behavior.
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 emphasized the broader importance of the midterm contests, saying voters can reject what he described as “chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence” by supporting Democratic candidates in key battleground states.