Washington DC - President Donald Trump on Thursday came out full force in defense of Ohio gubernatorial candidate and MAGA loyalist Vivek Ramaswamy, who is facing backlash over a shocking ad against his opponent.

In a Truth Social post, Trump praised the ad from Ramaswamy's campaign, which featured his challenger Amy Acton's estranged mother telling viewers her daughter was a "liar" and not to vote for her.

"The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to 'take down the Ad,'" Trump wrote.

"Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor," he added.

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Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's home after a grand jury indicted their stepfather on a charge of raping his stepdaughter, who was just 12 years old at the time.

Acton's mother remained married to her husband – who fled the state after the indictment – until his death in 2004. Acton has not spoken to her mother in decades.

In his post, Trump revealed he suggested Ramaswamy keep the ad up to "let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals!"

The ad comes with just two weeks until the midterm elections, where Republicans will fight to maintain majorities in the House and Senate. Numerous polls have found Democrats to have a real chance at flipping several seats, including in swing states like Ohio, where Acton is leading Ramaswamy by nearly four points.

Though Ramaswamy's ad has seen sweeping condemnation from both sides of the political aisle, Trump and his MAGA allies have decided to double down by blaming the media and making no mention of the ad's true context.

On Wednesday, Ramaswamy announced his campaign was spending $4 million to continue pushing the ad, and in a rally speech that same day, Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans to "stop whining" about it.