Donald Trump was unusually silent this month as conservative leaders demanded that supporters of Bud Light stop drinking the beer because of the company's partnership with transgender Tiktok personality Dylan Mulvaney.
The former president does not seem to have made any public remarks on Bud Light or the right-wing uproar around the brand in recent Truth Social postings.
RealClearPolitics made this observation, pointing out that Trump has been conspicuously "MIA" (missing in action) on the boycott despite numerous demands for comment. Now, here's why.
Former President Is MIA
It was recently revealed that the former president, who has publicly opposed transgender rights, has a financial stake in Anheuser Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light.
Disclosure forms reveal that Trump is a stakeholder in the business that makes Bud Light. The Independent was the first to report on this.
In his last filing with the Federal Election Commission on April 14, Trump declared his ownership of between $1 million and $5 million in Anheuser Busch InBev via an account titled "DJT Trust - Investment Account #2."
His son, Donald Trump Jr., has urged for the Bud Light boycott to halt, but the former president has been silent on the matter.
On the episode of his podcast Triggered that aired on April 13, Don Jr. remarked, "I'm not for destroying an American, an iconic company, for something like this. The company itself doesn't participate in the same leftist nonsense as the other big conglomerates."
His views were at odds with those of many other high-profile Republicans, as reported by Insider.
The Republicans' Counterattack
According to Insider, Mulvaney's gender has been incorrectly referred to by Republican presidential contender and former governor Nikki Haley when she has spoken out against the Bud Light collaboration.
In an interview with RealClearPolitics, former Vice President Mike Pence, who is widely anticipated to declare his 2024 bid in the coming months, said that the boycott was justified.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been projected to be Trump's top contender for the GOP nomination, has accused Bud Light of "rubbing our faces in it" by employing Mulvaney in an ad campaign.
Plummeted Sales After an Outcry
After weeks of partnering with Dylan Mulvaney, Bud Light has seen a dramatic decline in pours at pubs and restaurants throughout the US.
It was found that sales of the company's goods dropped by 6% between the beginning and middle of April at 3,000 separate locations. Bud Light was reported to have surpassed its category by 15% based on sales data compared to the period of March 18 to April 1. This occurred two weeks before the company's planned collaboration with the transgender influencer.
