US President Donald Trump on Friday shamelessly defended and celebrated Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s widely condemned attack ad against his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, while feigning ignorance about her account of the sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of her stepfather when she was a child.

“It’s a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton,” Trump told reporters of the Ramaswamy ad, which features Acton’s estranged biological mother, Donna Arthur, calling the Democratic candidate a “liar.” Acton’s account of her childhood is backed by court records, which show that her stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was charged with rape in July 1978 and indicted by a grand jury later that year.

Trump said Friday that he doesn’t “know anything about a stepfather,” despite being made aware of Acton’s past earlier this week. The president called Acton’s mother a “smart woman.”

“I know that recently, a mother got on television and said that her daughter should not be governor of Ohio,” Trump said, after repeatedly snapping at NBC reporter Monica Alba, who tried to get the president to acknowledge Acton’s account of sexual abuse.

“Do the sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you, sir?” Alba asked. “There are very serious sexual abuse allegations.”

Watch the exchange:

YIKES 😳 Trump snaps at a reporter asking him about why he’s dismissing sexual abuse allegations 👇WOMAN REPORTER: Do the sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you, sir?TRUMP: Wait. Wait! Wait wait wait. Slow down. Who are you with?REPORTER: NBC, sir. But they are very serious sexual abuse allegationsTRUMP: Quiet! Isn’t she a fresh person? You’re a horrible little reporter, aren’t you?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2026

Trump’s comments to reporters on Friday marked just the last instance of the president defending and championing Ramaswamy’s ad, which the president characterized as “very powerful” in a Thursday Truth Social post.

“The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it’s so good!” Trump crowed. “Who wouldn’t use such an Ad?”

HuffPost White House correspondent SV Dáte wrote Friday that Trump is “doing his damnedest to make this truly vile ad the closing argument of this midterm.”

When a reporter in the gaggle once again explained to Trump that the backstory of Acton’s estrangement from her mother included that her “stepfather was indicted for rape” and if that changed his position on the ad, Trump immediately cut her off and said, “No, no.”

“It’s a mother speaking badly of Amy Acton,” Trump said, “and to me it’s very easy.”

Q: Now that you know the backstory about Amy Acton and her stepfather and why she hasn’t talked to her mom in so long – her stepfather was indicted for rape – do you change your mind about the ad?TRUMP: No. No. It’s a mother speaking badly against Amy Acton. You don’t know anything.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2026

The race between Ramaswamy and Acton is expected to be very close, though some analysts have shifted their assessments of the race in the Democrat’s favor amid growing outcry over the ad, including from Ohio’s outgoing Republican Gov. Mike DeWine—who endorsed Ramaswamy earlier this year.

Ramaswamy has shown no sign of backing away from the 60-second spot, and his campaign is expected to spend millions airing it in the days leading up to the midterm contest.

During a campaign stop on Friday, Ramaswamy accused his political opponents of “lying” about the ad and insisted that it had “nothing to do” with childhood abuse. The ad does not specifically mention Acton’s account of abuse, but Arthur has previously accused Acton of lying about being raped by her stepfather—to whom Arthur remained married until his death.

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