Trump shouts ‘quiet’ and berates ‘horrible little’ female reporter in fit over Vivek Ramaswamy foe’s mom

President Donald Trump is standing by a television ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, calling her daughter a liar. On Friday, Trump brushed off questions about the ad's context and lashed out at a reporter, telling an NBC News journalist she was a horrible little reporter once she named her employer, according to The Independent.

Acton, 60, has said that her stepfather raped her when she was 12. Her mother, Donna Arthur, did not believe her, and the two have not spoken since a court appearance in 1978. The stepfather was indicted by a grand jury and pleaded not guilty. Arthur denies the abuse, though in a 2020 interview she acknowledged backing her husband, borrowing money for a lawyer and leaving town with him after the indictment. He died in 2004. Acton's campaign denounced Ramaswamy for giving a platform to an abusive mother.

Trump insisted he knew only that a mother had gone on television to say her daughter should not be governor. He said Republicans criticizing the ad lacked the facts and claimed ignorance of stepfathers from long ago.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →