Republican presidential hopeful, Senator Tim Scott, made a bold declaration in his latest campaign ad.
The South Carolina senator is promising to take the fight to the Mexican drug cartels, vowing to deploy the U.S. military to combat these criminal organizations that are exploiting our southern border.
Scott’s hardline stance comes at a time when the safety of American citizens is under threat from an influx of illegal substances, primarily fentanyl, which is largely produced by these cartels.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports this deadly synthetic narcotic is responsible for over 100,000 overdose deaths in 2021 alone.
Tim Scott will be the president that SECURES the southern border.
📺 Watch the latest ad: pic.twitter.com/HCwbtPxjwH
— Raj Aryal (@rajaryal07) August 10, 2023
In his campaign ad, Scott directly criticized the Biden administration for its perceived laxity towards the cartels’ operations.
He accused the current administration of allowing these criminal organizations to operate with impunity, leading to tens of thousands of American lives lost each year due to fentanyl overdoses.
The senator’s commitment to national security was further emphasized during his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border as a presidential candidate in Yuma, Arizona, on August 4th.
Here, he pledged to complete the construction of the border wall if elected. In his words, “If you don’t control your back door, it’s not your house. And if we don’t control this border, it’s not our country.”
Meanwhile, the Mexican drug cartels have been amassing military-grade equipment, including armored trucks, to assert their dominance in Mexico.
Their smuggling operations have grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, demanding payment from anyone wishing to cross the southern border, according to The New York Times.
TRUMP: “Tim Scott has been nice, Vivek Ramaswamy has been very very nice.” pic.twitter.com/TkEilen755
— Based Barry (@BasedBarryFan) August 10, 2023
Scott is not alone in his tough stance against the cartels.
Several other Republican contenders for the 2024 presidential election, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, also pledged to designate the Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Former President Donald Trump has even suggested leveraging military action against the Mexican cartels if he returns to the White House.
However, Pence views such action as a last resort, stating that the primary job of a government is to secure the safety of its people, whether that involves deterring foreign adversaries or securing the southern border.
In conclusion, Senator Tim Scott’s pledge to “unleash” the U.S. military on the Mexican drug cartels is a clear indication of his commitment to national security and the well-being of the American people.
His campaign ad, part of a $6 million ad buy, will air in Iowa and New Hampshire, signaling his determination to bring this issue to the forefront of the 2024 presidential race.
This article appeared in StatesmanPost and has been published here with permission.
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