Vice President J.D. Vance defended the ad released by Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign.
Posted by The Briefing with Jen Psaki, Checked
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- 6 support1 context
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The Briefing with Jen PsakiOct 23, 2026
Multiple tier-1 outlets (Reuters, AP, The Hill, Politico) report that Vice President JD Vance publicly defended the attack ad by Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign on October 21, 2026, including at a rally where he praised the ad and criticized Republicans who objected. The claim matches the passage's content without adding anything, and the sources do not contradict it.
What was said
… We've seen what I would consider quite an extreme example of this in Ohio, in the Ohio governor's race, with the tasteless ad that Vivek Rameswamy, his campaign, put out. And I should know, which I think everybody watching knows, um, the Vice President Vance defended the ad and said he was disgusted not by the ad but by the Republicans who rightfully criticized it. President Trump has also doubled down, as you have seen this whole episode unfold. As you're thinking about going out there and talking to people about the subject of your documentary, what do you think it reveals about the culture of misogyny in the, in the …
The Briefing with Jen Psaki · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports that Vance defended an explosive attack ad by Ramaswamy's campaign against Democrat Amy Acton, saying Ramaswamy 'had the audacity to run a TV commercial' that calls Acton a liar.[1]
Supports. The AP reports that Vance defended the Ramaswamy ad featuring Acton's estranged mother and later drew cheers at a rally when he defended Ramaswamy.[2][6]
Supports. The Hill and Politico quote Vance calling himself 'disgusted' by Republicans who criticized the ad, while NBC reports he told Republicans to 'stop whining' about it.[3][4][5]
Context. Vance also said that whether the ad was appropriate 'is not really my concern,' and Ramaswamy's campaign acknowledged it was behind the spot, so the defense concerned the ad itself rather than its propriety.[1][5][7]
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 1, 3 tier 2, 1 not rated
- 1Vance defends Ramaswamy's explosive attack ad in Ohio governor racereuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2Vance says Republicans shouldn't complain about Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged motherapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Vance ‘disgusted’ by Republicans decrying Ramaswamy ad with Acton’s motherthehill.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 4‘Stop whining’: Vance dismisses Republican criticism of Ramaswamy adpolitico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Vance says Republicans should 'stop whining' about Vivek ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 6Vance says he's 'disgusted' by GOP pushback to Ramaswamy ad ...houstonchronicle.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7JD Vance's 'stop whining' defense of Ramaswamy's ad ...cnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign released an ad regarding the Ohio governor's race.True
- The sitting Republican governor of Ohio called on Vivek Ramaswamy to remove his campaign ad from the air.True
- Vivek Ramaswamy released an ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother.True
- Donald Trump has endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor of Ohio.True
- J.D. Vance characterized recent Iran strikes as not being a war.True