Trump Endorses Vivek Ramaswamy at Ohio Rally, Calls Democratic Rival Amy Acton a ‘Total Lunatic’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump rallied support for Indian-American Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in Youngstown, Ohio, praising him as a close friend while launching a sharp attack on his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.
Speaking at the Covelli Centre, Trump recalled competing against Ramaswamy during the 2024 Republican presidential primary before the entrepreneur withdrew from the race and endorsed him.
“And we’re going to send my very good friend — you know, I ran against him, and he was not easy. He’s a very smart guy and he’s a very good guy. And he loves — he loves this state,” Trump told supporters.
Trump praised Ramaswamy’s economic proposals, particularly his plans to reduce taxes, telling voters they would be impressed by his leadership.
“He’s got a lot of great plans, like cutting taxes all over the place. You’ll be very happy. You’re going to be amazed at how good he is, how smart he is,” Trump said.
The president also criticized Acton, a physician and former Ohio health director, over her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and her positions on gun control.
“Vivek is running against a total lunatic named Amy Acton, who shut down Ohio schools during Covid locked up your factories and your businesses,” Trump said, adding that “she wants to take away your guns.”
Trump urged Ohio voters to support both Ramaswamy and Republican Sen. Jon Husted, warning that Democratic leadership would harm the state.
“If you want to stop it before it begins, vote for Jon Husted and vote for Vivek Ramaswamy,” he said.
Ramaswamy, who addressed the crowd before Trump took the stage, emphasized immigration enforcement, merit-based opportunities and conservative governance.
“And I say this as the proud son of legal immigrants to this country your first act of entering this country cannot break the law that is why we are ending sanctuary cities in the state of Ohio,” Ramaswamy said.
He also argued that employment opportunities should be determined by qualifications rather than race.
“As Americans, we believe in merit, that the best person gets the job regardless of their skin color,” he said, pledging to become “the most conservative governor of this state has ever seen in our history.”
Appearing alongside Trump later in the rally, Ramaswamy accused Acton of avoiding a direct confrontation with him on the debate stage.
“The woman I’m running against actually refuses to show up for a debate with me,” he said.
Ramaswamy also promised to work closely with the Trump administration to attract investment and create higher-paying jobs in Ohio.
“I will be a governor who proudly works with the President of the United States of America to bring more dollars into Ohio, to bring higher paying jobs to Ohio,” he said.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, Ramaswamy trails Acton by approximately four percentage points in the MS NOW-FiftyPlusOne polling average ahead of the November 3 election.
Born in Cincinnati to immigrants from Kerala, India, Ramaswamy previously gained national attention through his 2024 presidential campaign.
If elected, he would become the third Indian-American governor in U.S. history, following Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina, and the first Indian-American governor in the Midwest.
The race is for the seat held by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is barred from seeking another term because of term limits. (Source: IANS)
