The Ramaswamy Attack Ad Sparks Backlash and Raises Questions About Trump’s Political Brand

In a recent episode of the Daily Beast podcast *Inside Trump’s Head*, author Michael Wolff and co-host Joanna Coles examined the reaction to Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s new television advertisement. The ad featured the mother of Ohio health official Amy Acton, who previously lost custody of her children after allegations of abuse by her second husband. Acton’s mother called her “a serial liar” in the spot. The Ramaswamy campaign announced an additional $4 million will be spent on the ad in the closing weeks of the race.

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The controversy emerges amid a midterm election cycle in which several Republican contests are unusually close. Wolff and Coles suggested the ad reflects a broader “desperation moment” for Republicans, who are reverting to tactics that “own the libs” and embrace an “illiberal and cold-hearted” style that has characterized much of Trump’s political approach.

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Coles labeled the advertisement “utterly exploitative” of Acton’s childhood abuse and said Ramaswamy should be “ashamed” of the decision.

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• “And the political point here is that they believe, and so much of Donald Trump's career would support this, that the illiberal and the cold-hearted and the 'f—— you' and the owning the libs works,” — Michael Wolff

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