Republican presidential nominee Tim Scott is chasing China in a new campaign ad showcasing his crackdown on China as the race for the 2024 GOP nomination heats up.
The ad, which will air on TV and digital platforms in Iowa and New Hampshire starting Monday, is part of a previously announced $6 million ad buyback — part of the senator’s effort to increase his brand awareness and position on key policy issues. to build.
“China is the biggest threat to America’s security,” Scott said in the ad obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com, which comes after a number of Biden administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, climate czar John Kerry and Secretary of State for Finance Janet Yellen, have departed. to the communist state to meet their counterparts in recent weeks.
“Emboldened by Joe Biden’s weakness, they are buying up our farmland, spying on our children and stealing our jobs.”
“As president, I will keep China out of our homeland and out of our data,” Scott said
As president, I will keep China out of our homeland and out of our data.
“I will protect American workers and I will return our military to the fiercest fighting machine in the world.”
The ad ends with Scott saying the US needs a commander in chief with a “backbone.”
Federal lawmakers warn that companies funded by Beijing’s authoritarian government are buying up US farmland at an “alarming rate,” posing a threat to national security.
Trump and other 2024 candidates have vowed to crack down on the ability of China-backed companies to buy “vital infrastructure” in the United States.
In addition, the Scott campaign’s ad references China using TikTok to “spy” on Americans, specifically children using the app.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The popular social media company has confirmed that the app’s source code was written by Chinese engineers, lawmakers told DailyMail.com. is alarming because it puts Americans’ data directly “at risk” by allowing the CCP to access private information through a “back door.”
The ad follows the South Carolina senator’s speech last week at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa, where he outlined his strategy for combating China’s mounting aggression.
“If you look at the long-term threat to our country, it’s China. The existential threat we face in the long run is going to be China,” he said in Iowa.
“Look at this emerging axis of evil that we see being formed, it is Russia, China and Iran. Breaking that into pieces before it starts, I think it’s in our vital interest.”
Scott also called the Biden administration’s immediate inaction regarding the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the country in February “dereliction of duty” and should have been shot down right away.
Former President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he would consider adding Scott as his vice presidential running mate.
“I think he’s a really good guy. We’ve done opportunity zones together,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. “Tim is very good.”
There are 15 candidates vying for the GOP nomination in 2024 — with Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis way ahead
Scott wants to “protect American workers” from the Chinese in a new campaign ad
“I mean I could see Tim doing something with the administration, but he’s campaigning right now, and I’m sure Tim and everyone else would say I’m only interested in one – but Tim is a very talented man and you have other very talented people.’
However, Scott has said he is not interested in discussing the potential of a VP candidate because there are still those who want him to run for president.
“There are those who want me to be No. 1, and so I’m going to continue this race for one goal — it’s to be the president of the United States,” Scott told Fox host Neil Cavuto last week. “I didn’t start this race to finish second. Second place is the first loser.’
Trump is also considering entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for the number two position in the White House.
“I think Vivek did a really good job, honestly. I think others have done well,” Trump said.
Trump added that many of the people running in the 2024 presidential campaign are the ones he would consider adding to his general election ticket, and to fill his cabinet if he won another term.
The former president also named Democratic nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a ‘very smart person’.
According to new fundraising data for the second quarter of 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading all presidential candidates — both Democrat and Republican — in direct campaign contributions for April, May and June.
Meanwhile, the Republican nominee is still struggling to outrun Donald Trump in the primary and, according to a new NBC News report, his campaign has just fired about a dozen middle-level employees to “cut costs.”
Scott’s campaign team has touted that the senator has more than $21 million in cash on hand heading into the third quarter.
That’s compared to Trump’s $22.5 million and DeSantis’ $12.2 million.