A political action committee (PAC) supporting the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launched a TV ad targeting former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N and presidential candidate Nikki Haley over her connections with Chinese businesses. The ad was set to air on Sunday,
As reported by CBS News, the $2.5 million ad buy from the “Never Back Down” super PAC debuted during CBS’s “60 Minutes” and will be aired throughout the week on Fox News, CNN, and Newsmax in Iowa and New Hampshire media markets.
The ad criticizes Haley for promoting Chinese businesses in South Carolina during her term as governor. It specifically mentions a South Carolina-based production plant for China Jushi, a Chinese fiberglass company. Haley touted the $300 million investment and 400 new jobs as a “huge win” for South Carolina in 2016.
However, the ad describes China Jushi as a “communist party-owned high tech company” and points out its location near a U.S. Army training center. It also features clips of Haley expressing positive sentiments about Chinese businesses in South Carolina.
As a presidential candidate, Haley has labeled China as the “number one biggest national security threat.” A spokesperson for Haley slammed the ad as “more lies and hypocrisy” from DeSantis, who they claim “aggressively recruited Chinese companies to Florida.”
DeSantis, who has not yet released a foreign policy plan, has taken a firm stance on China during his tenure as governor. He has banned Chinese nationals from buying land near U.S. military bases in Florida and prohibited Chinese-owned social media apps on government devices.
Photo by lev radin on Shutterstock
Engineered by Benzinga Neuro, Edited by Pooja Rajkumari
The GPT-4-based Benzinga Neuro content generation system exploits the extensive Benzinga Ecosystem, including native data, APIs, and more to create comprehensive and timely stories for you. Learn more.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.