Trump says Bud Light ad was ‘mistake of epic proportions’; threatens to release list of ‘woke’ companies

Former President Trump on Tuesday said Bud Light has paid the price for its controversial partnership with a transgender influencer that sent sales for the beer brand tumbling last year, and he also threatened to release a list of “woke” companies. 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the Bud Light ad featuring TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney a “mistake of epic proportions.”

“And for that a very big price was paid, but Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company, but I can give you plenty that are,” he wrote. “Am building a list, and might just release it for the world to see.”

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“Why not, the Radical Left does it viciously to well run, conservative companies — and people,” Trump continued. “Very nasty, but it’s the way they play the game!”

The beer giant was met with considerable criticism last year after the release of an ad featuring Mulvaney, with many pledging to boycott Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch InBev — the parent company of Budweiser and Bud Light — sent personalized Bud Light cans to a number of social media influencers, including Mulvaney, who identifies as a woman.

The pushback came quickly, and some stores were forced to give Bud Light away for free; the company even resorted to buying back unsold, expired beer from wholesalers.

A short time later, Modelo Especial passed Bud Light as the No. 1-selling beer brand on a dollar basis for the four-week and single-week period ending June 3, 2023.

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Bud Light is still having trouble luring back customers.

Sales of the beer were down 29.9% year over year for the week ending Jan. 20, compared with the same period last year, according to the latest numbers provided to FOX Business by Bump Williams Consulting, which analyzed NielsenIQ data. 

In an effort to win back customers, the brand created a 60-second advertisement that will air during the Super Bowl this Sunday. The campaign, dubbed “Easy Night Out,” focuses on a group of friends who encounter a “Bud Light Genie” that grants them wishes during a night out, including having Bud Lights magically appear.

The group will encounter a star-studded cast from NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, singer and rapper Post Malone, to UFC CEO Dana White.

In his social media post, Trump praised Anheuser-Busch, saying the company spends $700 million annually “with our GREAT Farmers” while employing 65,000 Americans, of which 1,500 are military veterans, and raising millions in scholarship money.

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“Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance?” he wrote. “What do you think? Perhaps, instead, we should be going after those companies that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!”

The campaign for Nikki Haley, who is battling Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, criticized the former president for focusing on the beer maker rather than the problems facing Americans.

“Sixty percent of families are living paycheck to paycheck, and Donald Trump is rambling about a beer company,” said Haley spokesperson AnnMarie Graham. “Nikki Haley is running to make America normal again.”

Anheuser-Busch did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

FOX Business’ Breck Dumas and Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.