- President Donald Trump snapped at a journalist on Friday while doubling down on his support for a campaign ad by Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that features Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's estranged mother.
- Trump angrily dismissed questions from journalists regarding the underlying context of the estrangement, which stems from Acton's stepfather being indicted in 1978 for raping her when she was a child while her mother stood by the husband.
- During an exchange before departing the White House, Trump berated an NBC News reporter who pressed him on the backstory, calling her a “horrible little reporter” and saying, “I don't know anything about stepfathers from many many years ago.”
- Acton's campaign strongly condemned Ramaswamy's decision to feature her estranged mother in the television spot, describing the move as a despicable low.
- Despite condemnation from other Republican figures who criticized the ad's use of Acton's tragic family history, Trump maintained that those speaking out against the ad simply do not know the facts.
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