Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a jab at Bud Light in a new video, but the Republican's response is late to the game.
DeSantis remained silent for over a week in the culture war triggered by the beer giant's decision to partner with a transgender model while dozens of politicians and celebrities had already chimed in.
The controversy stems from an Instagram video posted this month by Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender influencer with more than 10 million TikTok followers, which showed a Bud Light can personalized with her face. The social media clip shared with her 1.8 million Instagram followers featured a partnership between the brand and Mulvaney following her "Day 365 Of Girlhood" series, which has become popular online.
"This month, I celebrated day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever—a can with my face on it," Mulvaney said in the video.
The popular beer brand's decision to partner with Mulvaney has caused outrage among some conservatives, with many calling for boycotts of Bud Light and its parent company Anheuser-Busch.
DeSantis' team on Monday released a video titled "Real Men of Women's Sports," which parodies Bud Light's "Real Men of Genius" campaign from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Amid rumors that the governor is going to run for president, DeSantis has been met with more national scrutiny, including from his potential GOP rival, former President Donald Trump.
Newsweek has reached out to representatives for DeSantis and Anheuser-Busch via email for comment.
DeSantis asked, "Why would you want to drink Bud Light?" saying that he's a Guinness guy now in an interview on The Benny Show.
"If you don't have conservative beer drinkers, you're going to feel that," DeSantis said, adding that he thinks boycotting the brand is "righteous."
DeSantis, who says he is never drinking Bud Light again, joins a growing list of high-profile figures who have either praised or condemned Bud Light for the company's partnership with an LGBTQ+ model.
Singer Kid Rock recently posted a video where he is seen shooting Bud Light cans and saying, "F*** Bud Light."
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh tweeted, "The good news is that Bud Light tastes like rain water that someone siphoned out of a tin bucket so it should be very easy to boycott."
Donald Trump Jr., however, recently called for an end to the boycott. He defended the beverage company during a recent episode of his Triggered podcast.
Anheuser-Busch supported the brand's decision. Recently, a spokesperson said the company would continue to work with a wide range of influencers and models to reach diverse groups of customers.
"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer," Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a press release.
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About the writer
Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more
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