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Trump's 'terrifying' leap into Ramaswamy ad drama has GOP base 'outraged': analysts
October 22, 2026 8:30PM ET
US President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, US, October 22, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
US President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, US, October 22, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump took what some political analysts described as a "terrifying" dive into some high-profile Republican drama that has left parts of his base outraged.
Trump defended an ad publicized by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign that featured the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, calling her a liar. Acton and her brother have been separated from their parents since she was 12 years old after her stepfather was charged with raping her.
On Thursday, Trump defended the ad by arguing that there is nothing wrong with having a mother speak out against her daughter.
"Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, 'hitting pay dirt,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Panelists on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" said the fallout from Trump's comments continues to ripple across the GOP base, and could cost Ramaswamy the election.
"I've spoken to sources in Ohiotoday who say that this isrippling through the wholestate, but especially thesuburbs and women in the suburbswho are trying to we're tryingto figure out where togo, maybe even those who aretraditionally Republican voters, and they'reoutraged by this," CNN's Dana Burns said.
"What the Ramaswamy campaign is banking on is that low-information voters, those who are traditionally Republican voters but might not be inclined to go out and vote this year because they're so mad at the president," she continued. "[They] might hear the president, watch this ad, [they] don't know thecontext about the mother and say, 'Okay, maybe I'll go vote.'"
Host Anderson Cooper described Trump wading into the fight at "terrifying" because Trump admitted that he didn't have all the facts about the ad and still felt the need to comment on it.
"Here's a way that he can insert himself into the news cycle, a lot like influencers ride the wave of whatever is trending on social media. He got himself into the story," Cooper said.