Bud Light can't seem to catch a break as conservatives continue to boycott the brand, this time refusing to drink it during Fourth of July celebrations.
The beer brand has been suffering ongoing criticism for collaborating with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in March. The company paid Mulvaney for some sponsored posts on her social media and also sent the TikTok star a not-for-public sale six-pack of commemorative cans.
The cans had Mulvaney's face on them and were made to celebrate the one year-anniversary since she started her gender-affirming transition.
Bud Light's critics have now hit out at a tweet that has been viewed 4.3 million times in which the beer brand told its consumers, "It's 4th of July weekend, enjoy some beer 🍻."
Many people were not impressed and replied to the tweet with negative comments, sharing photos of different beer brands and saying they would be drinking those instead on the upcoming national holiday.
"Here's where we are,,,,you lost this Midwest family when we stopped mattering," commented one person on the tweet.
Another said: "Enjoy some brands that DON'T belong to Anheuser-Busch. Make sure the beer you drink from now on does NOT fall under their market share."
And a third wrote: "On this Independence Day, we declare our independence from big foreign-owned corporations like AB InBev from forcing their values down our throats. We determine the values of the companies we buy from, not the reverse! 🇺🇸."
A former executive at the company which owns Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, Anson Frericks, wrote in the British newspaper The Daily Mail that the Bud Light battle had "already been lost" and called on company shareholders to ask Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth to step down.
The company likely hoped there would be a July 4 boost in sales, but Frericks said its decision to work with Mulvaney had cost it $20 billion in lost marketing.
He added: "This weekend is make or break. Sadly, though, it looks like the battle has already been lost."
Mulvaney also spoke out against Bud Light and claimed they'd left her out to the wolves by not supporting her more in the recent months of backlash.
"For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want," she said in an Instagram video on June 29. "And the hate doesn't end with me, it has serious consequences for the rest of our community."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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