Keith Boykin criticizes Trump and Vance for doubling down on the ad's message
Keith BoykinAuthor and former Clinton White House aide
Boykin calls it sad that Trump and Vance are doubling down on the ad's message late in the campaign. He rejects a comparison with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s relatives speaking out against him.
“How can you compare that to a family squabble among the elite Kennedys? It's just not even close to being comparable. And I think it's sad that Republicans -- I'm so glad that Peter's standing up on this tonight, and I assume that Scott will too. But I just -- I think it's sad that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are doubling down on this message in the last two weeks of a campaign when people don't care about these divisive issues. They care about jobs and healthcare and gas prices.”
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
Abby Phillip read Ben Shapiro's comparison of the ad to Democrats enlisting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s relatives against him. Boykin replied that Kennedy and his relatives are public figures, while Acton's mother is a private citizen whom Acton has not spoken to since she was 12.
After the quotation
Phillip then returned to Vance's decision to address the ad at a rally.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Boykin rejects a comparison offered in the ad's defense and calls it sad that Trump and Vance are doubling down on its message. His criticism reaches the use of the ad itself, beyond the analogy.
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- Vivek Ramaswamy
More from this case
Read the full caseRamaswamy says the ad concerns lying rather than childhood abuse
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Thomas calls the ad poor campaign strategy
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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. "Keith Boykin criticizes Trump and Vance for doubling down on the ad's message". First published: 2026-10-22. Last updated: 2026-10-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/6531-boykin-calls-it-sad-that-trump-and-vance