Trump doubles down on anti-Acton ad in Ohio: ‘Vivek should keep it up’
Trump stepping in to defend Vivek Ramaswamy's ad and publicly scold Mike DeWine for objecting tells you where the Republican Party's center of gravity sits right now. The ad uses Amy Acton's estranged mother, a sharp personal attack that has split Ohio Republicans. DeWine called for it to come down, and Trump responded by saying Ramaswamy should keep it up.
I think there's a real question about whether family estrangement is fair game in a campaign. A mother's grievances are personal, and using them against a candidate goes beyond policy or record. But campaigns are brutal, and voters do weigh character and family dynamics. I'd want to know what Acton's mother actually says and whether the estrangement is relevant to Acton's fitness for office.
The intra-party fight is just as interesting. Trump backing a challenger over a sitting Republican governor shows how quickly loyalty tests override party unity. DeWine is a traditional Republican, and Ramaswamy is running as a Trump-aligned outsider. This looks like a preview of the primary, with Trump using his platform to shape the outcome before voters decide.
I land in the middle. Personal attacks that exploit family pain make me uneasy, but they're legal and often effective. The bigger story may be what it says about how Republicans choose their nominees now.