Peter Meijer calls Ramaswamy's ad featuring Acton's mother gross and wrong
Peter MeijerFormer U.S. representative from Michigan
Meijer calls the ad morally wrong and politically unwise, saying he sees no defense of it.
“No, I think it's a gross ad on a moral level and wrong. On a political level, I don't know how you can argue that this was smart. And to have the closing message of your opponent, you know, framed in such a way I just, I don't see a defense of it.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Ramaswamy's campaign defends using Amy Acton's estranged mother in an attack ad
Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign produced an advertisement in which Amy Acton's estranged mother accuses her of lying. Acton says Ramaswamy took advantage of her mother, and the campaign defends its attack on Acton's credibility. Critics from both parties condemn the tactic, while Laura Loomer defends it.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
CNN rush transcript of a panel discussion of the Acton advertisement and Vance's defense of it. Rush transcripts may be revised.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Phillip opened the panel discussion by asking about the ad and Vance's defense of it.
After the quotation
Pressed on Vance's defense of the ad, Meijer said Trump seemed to be describing the situation from afar and that Republicans who refuse to defend the ad are on the right side going into the final two weeks.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Meijer explicitly rejects the ad on moral and political grounds.
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- People and groups discussed
- Vivek Ramaswamy
More from this case
Read the full caseRamaswamy says the ad concerns lying rather than childhood abuse
“It had nothing to do with childhood abuse.”Read statement
Thomas calls the ad poor campaign strategy
“But the thing is, it's also just strategically poor. Vivek had much higher negatives relative to Acton before the polling started and when this ad came out. I can only imagine that's going to exacerbate, in a sense.”Read statement
Hajjar says Ohio voters deserve a policy debate instead
“They deserve a substantive policy debate, not -- I mean, this is the culmination of what has been, actually, a very nasty race in Ohio for a while now.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Peter Meijer calls Ramaswamy's ad featuring Acton's mother gross and wrong". First published: 2026-10-22. Last updated: 2026-10-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/6530-meijer-calls-the-ad-morally-wrong-and-politically