DeSantis Slams Woke Bud Light: ‘Pushback Is in Order’
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Governor DeSantis on Monday slammed Bud Light, which has recently faced massive backlash for its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, for alienating its conservative consumer base.
“Why would you want to drink Bud Light?,” DeSantis said in an interview with journalist Benny Johnson. “That’s them rubbing our faces in it, and these companies that do this, if they never have any response, they’re just going to keep doing it. . . . I think we have power as consumers to make our voice heard.”
EXCLUSIVE: Gov. DeSantis On Bud Light Boycott:
“Why would you want to drink Bud Light?
If we don’t push back they’re gonna keep doing it. If you don’t have conservative beer drinkers, they’re gonna feel that.
It’s a righteous. Pushback is in order.
I’ll never drink Bud again” pic.twitter.com/tIOI1W8c1J
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 17, 2023
DeSantis advised consumers to be wise about how they conduct their boycotts to effect change. “Sometimes conservative consumers aren’t going to make a dent in some companies. This one is. If you don’t have conservative beer drinkers, you’re going to feel that,” he said.
The Bud Light scandal is not an isolated incident, he said, but rather a demonstration that “corporate America is trying to change our country.”
“I’d rather be governed by we the people rather than woke companies, so I believe pushback is in order across the board, including with Bud Light,” he said.
Since the brand and Mulvaney announced their collaboration, Anheuser-Busch — Bud Light’s parent company — has shaved $3 billion off its market capitalization, which went from $132 billion to $129 billion, according to the Daily Mail. Many former customers, including some Republican politicians and country singers, have vowed to switch to an alternative beer, such as Coors Light.
On a Sunday podcast appearance, Donald Trump Jr. urged conservatives to end their boycott of Bud Light and AB, arguing that the company historically donates a lot of money to Republicans and shouldn’t be abandoned over “the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign that got woke as hell.”
“So, here’s the deal. Anheuser-Busch totally sh** the bed with this Dylan Mulvaney thing. I’m not, though, for destroying an American, an iconic company for something like this,” he said. “We looked into the political giving and lobbying history of Anheuser-Busch, and guess what? They actually support Republicans.”
On Friday, AB claimed in a statement that it “never intended” to divide Americans by advertising with Mulvaney, failing to apologize to the many loyal fans it has outraged.
“We never intended to be a part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” CEO Brendan Whitworth said. “I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew. My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another.”
