Mike Pence is fanning the flames of the potential TikTok ban by taking out a $2 million ad campaign in key election states.
The former Vice President's new effort speaks to the Senate, urging them to support the House bill that would force Chinese-based company ByteDance to sell TikTok in the United States, Digital Music News reports. If a sale does not occur, the app will be banned under the new bill.
The campaign was launched under Pence's conservative advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom (AAF). It is set to debut next week in key states for the upcoming November election, including Montana, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Washington D.C. The key locations were chosen after TikTok had taken out its own advertising campaign leading up to the Senate's decision.
AAF's new campaign features past footage of Senate Major Leader Chuck Schumer calling out the Chinese-owned video app, stating that it needs to be "closed down in America." Also shown are voters and other senators urging him to forbid the app.
Pence's campaign demands that the bill - which was quickly passed by the House - must be passed before Memorial Day to prevent risk of Congress being "caught up in politics and positioning" leading up to the 2024 election. If the decision is left unsolved, he states that it could distract from the major election coming down the pipeline.
TikTok dropped over $2 million on their own campaign, which was launched last week in an effort to block the bill. However, their campaign is also functioning in New York, Minnesota, and Massachusetts, which are popular locations for journalists and young people. To further spread their message, TikTok is urging their users to call congressional offices with demands to vote against the bill. Some officials have reported that they have received threatening calls from some TikTok fans.
Prior to the new bill picking up steam, Universal Music Group had completely wiped their library from TikTok, prohibiting official music releases from Taylor Swift, SZA, Billie Eilish, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, and BTS from being used on the app.
The app has been popular for its frequent promotion of dance videos, often leading new and old music to trend when a video goes viral. The app has been instrumental in promoting the careers of artists like Lil Nas X, Doja Cat, and more. It has also successfully revitalized the careers of singers like Meghan Trainor and Jason Derulo.
Following Universal Music's catalog removal, the National Music Publishers Association revealed that they would be ending their licensing deal with the app and encouraging labels like Warner Music Group and Sony to join them.
The bill against TikTok passed in a 352-65 vote in the house last month. President Joe Biden has stated that he would sign the bill if it were to be passed in the Senate. As of now, its future seems unclear.
The legislation does not directly ban TikTok, instead forcing its Chinese-owned parent company to divest from the app within 10 days of the bill's signing. If the app is not sold, it will be removed from app stores within the United States.
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