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US President Donald Trump has backed Vivek Ramaswamy over a controversial campaign advertisement targeting his Ohio gubernatorial rival Amy Acton, urging the Republican candidate to keep the ad online despite calls for its removal.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump praised the advertisement, which features Acton's mother criticising her daughter, and accused the media of mounting a coordinated campaign to pressure Ramaswamy into taking it down.
Trump said the advertisement showed the mother's account of her daughter and argued that it demonstrated the kind of courage that could prevent voters from making what he described as a disastrous choice for Ohio.
He also criticised Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for suggesting that Ramaswamy should remove the advertisement, accusing him of disloyalty to the Republican Party. Trump recalled supporting DeWine during an earlier election campaign and claimed his rally had helped the governor overcome a significant polling deficit.
Defending Ramaswamy, Trump described him as a brilliant and outstanding person who would cut taxes, tackle crime and "MAKE OHIO GREAT AGAIN". He predicted that Ramaswamy would be a fantastic governor.
Trump also accused Acton of repeatedly lying about Ramaswamy during the campaign, referring to her as "Lyin' Amy Acton", while claiming that the media was portraying the advertisement negatively because it was effective.
The US President further argued that the advertisement would have been celebrated by the media and political opponents if it had been released by a Democrat. He said the press was targeting Ramaswamy because he was a Republican leading in the polls.
The controversy has put the advertisement and the debate over its removal at the centre of the Ohio gubernatorial campaign, with Trump firmly siding with Ramaswamy and encouraging him to continue using it.
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