Ep. 2531 - Did Vivek Ramaswamy Really Cross a Line?

October 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Ramaswamy Ad Controversy and the Real Stakes of the Midterms

When Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign ran an ad featuring Amy Acton's mother calling her daughter a liar, the political media erupted in outrage. "I cannot imagine a campaign using members of the family of a politician to attack that politician," was the typical response. But Ben Shapiro points out this is selective amnesia: the Biden campaign ran ads featuring Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s family attacking him. Democrat David Brill ran ads featuring six of Paul Gosar's siblings condemning him. The Washington Post ran a cartoon attacking Ted Cruz's daughter. The media ran with the joke that JD Vance had sex with a couch. "I know we're all supposed to have short-term memory loss," Shapiro says, "but the pearl clutching is a little bit much here."

The Actual Ad and Its Complications

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Show Open & Advertisements** - Episode introduction and sponsor messages for Daily Wire movie, GOPvotes, SimplySafe, and Prime Video's The Terminalist.
2 (03:36) **Vivek Ramaswamy's Controversial Ad** - Ben introduces the backlash against Ramaswamy's ad featuring Amy Acton's mother, comparing it to similar Democratic tactics.
3 (12:55) **The Ohio Governor's Race** - Ben pivots to the policy stakes of the Ohio election, contrasting the two candidates.
4 (21:31) **Midterm Polling & The Wedgewood Scandal** - Ben analyzes the current polling landscape and the fake polling firm scandal.
5 (33:41) **Michigan Senate Race & Candidate Behavior** - Ben examines the Michigan Senate race, focusing on Abdul El-Sayed's vulnerabilities.
6 (41:50) **Maine Senate Race & Cultural Absurdities** - Ben covers the Maine race and other cultural stories.
7 (52:47) **Transgender Politics & WNBA Update** - Ben discusses the WNBA's stance on transgender athletes and a viral debate on gender.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad against Amy Acton featuring Acton's mom has everyone pearl-clutching; we analyze a fake polling outfit that bamboozled everyone; and Tate McRae says being a housewife is about a stroller full of cash and also dancing around in your lingerie in a big empty house.

Ep. 2531

Watch Producer Sarah's video "The Truth About A.I. Data Centers" on DailyWire's Instagram and X accounts: https://x.com/realDailyWire/status/2112684524870254956?s=20

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