Former President Donald Trump recently urged his supporters to consider giving Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Bud Light, a “second chance” after the conservative backlash against the brand’s brief collaboration with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. However, Trump failed to disclose an important detail: he has a significant stake in the company’s stock, according to Federal Election Commission records. Documents from last October indicate that Trump holds as much as $5 million in Anheuser-Busch Inbev stock, raising concerns about the ethics of his apparent support for the company. Trump asserted on his Truth Social platform that “The Bud Light ad was a mistake of epic proportions, and for that a very big price was paid, but Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company.” The “ad” in question refers to a short-lived sponsorship agreement the company initiated in April 2023 with Mulvaney, which resulted in a single video posted by the influencer on her social media platforms. However, this deal provoked strong criticism from anti-LGBTQ conservatives who believed the company had marginalized them by collaborating with a transgender woman. Consequently, sales of Bud Light plummeted, the parent company’s stock value declined, and two marketing executives were placed on leave. To this day, Bud Light continues to be a subject of ridicule on Fox News and other right-wing media outlets. Nevertheless, Trump holds a different view of the company’s standing among his supporters and highlighted the ways he believes it to be a “Great American Brand.” Trump stated, “Anheuser-Busch spends $700 Million a year with our GREAT Farmers, employs 65 thousand Americans, of which 1,500 are Veterans, and is a Founding Corporate Partner of Folds of Honor, which provides Scholarships for families of fallen Servicemen & Women. They’ve raised over $30,000,000 and given 44,000 Scholarships.” Trump added, “Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think?” Trump proceeded to hint at a list of so-called “woke” companies he was compiling and promised that he “might just release it for the World to see.” “Why not, the Radical Left does it viciously to well-run, Conservative companies – and people! Very nasty, but it’s the way they play the game!” he remarked. Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment. Up until now, Trump had refrained from publicly addressing the right-wing backlash and subsequent boycott of Bud Light, choosing to remain silent on the onetime best-selling beer brand in America. According to the former president’s most recent financial disclosure forms, Trump possesses between $1 million and $5 million in Anheuser-Busch stock—an investment that has yielded him somewhere between $30,000 and 100,000 in interest. Bud Light recently announced a new partnership with comedian Shane Gillis, who was dismissed shortly after joining the cast of Saturday Night Live due to alleged racist remarks. Gillis’s collaboration, Trump’s endorsement, and the lead-up to its Super Bowl commercial this weekend underscore Bud Light’s efforts to reposition itself post-controversy and increase its sales, which are still down 30 percent. Roger Sollenberger contributed to this report.
