Corporations have allowed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-what-intersectionality-jacob-airey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intersectionality</a> to destroy their brands because of pressure to follow woke environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) guidance coming from investment giants like BlackRock, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/ben-shapiro" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Shapiro</a> said. 
Shapiro, a co-founder of The Daily Wire, said on his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1742-get-approved-for-testicle-removal-in-22-minutes-or-less-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thursday podcast</a> that brands like Bud Light engaged in seemingly self-destructive marketing because of woke policies being pushed from above. The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-hit-bud-light-manufacturer-settles-with-epa-over-alleged-environmental-violations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">financial woes of Anheuser-Busch</a> beer brand Bud Light followed a disastrous partnership with transgender-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney. 
“And you wonder why brands decide to do this,” Shapiro said. “The answer, of course, as we&#8217;ve discussed, is because BlackRock, State Street, Vanguard, they all basically mandate their brands, engage in this sort of crap through environmental, social governance standards. And it&#8217;s only that which is forced corporations to engage in this sort of absolutely suicidal stupidity.&#8221;
Shapiro made the comments while discussing a new report that said that Bud Light sales had fallen 24% in the week ending on May 27, compared to the previous year. Sales of Bud Light have plummeted after it promoted a partnership with Mulvaney on April 1. The Mulvaney partnership earned the ire of many conservatives, many of who encouraged a boycott of the beer brand. 
“Bud Light had better reverse the decline soon if it hopes to retain shelf space at retailers, because if you walk into pretty much any grocery store in America that sells liquor, what you&#8217;ll see is that there&#8217;s a lot of Bud Light on the shelves,” Shapiro explained. “People just aren&#8217;t buying it. Meanwhile, Dylan Mulvaney is making bank.&#8221;
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Mulvaney has said in recent days that more corporations should partner with transgender-identifying individuals. 
&#8220;If a brand wants to work with me so bad, then they should work with other trans people, too. It&#8217;s not enough to just hire me, this white, skinny trans girl. I want all the dolls getting all the brand deals,” Mulvaney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dylan-mulvaney-urges-more-brands-to-partner-with-trans-people-even-after-bud-light-debacle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the media outlet Them. 
Despite the Mulvaney backlash, Bud Light has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-to-sponsor-pride-parades-despite-ongoing-boycott" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued to sponsor</a> Pride events around the country. 
Bud Light is <a href="https://archive.ph/6SSZF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> as a sponsor on the <a href="https://www.cincinnatipride.org/our-sponsors.html">Cincinnati Pride Parade</a> website. Planned Parenthood and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, which <a href="https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/a/adolescent-medicine/programs/transgender/faq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">medically transitions minors</a>, are both also listed. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, Missouri, where Anheuser-Busch is headquartered, the company is <a href="https://archive.ph/5xuUC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> as the <a href="https://www.pridestl.org/sponsors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">presenting sponsor</a> of the St. Louis Pride Parade.

“Parade” Broadway Opening Night

Ben Shapiro Explains Why Corporate Brands Let Themselves Be Ruined By Intersectionality

Ben Shapiro

BlackRock

Bud Light

Dylan Mulvaney

Intersectionality

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender">Transgender</a> influencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney">Dylan Mulvaney</a> said in an interview published Tuesday that more brands should partner with trans influencers even after the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light">Bud Light</a> debacle, which led to a boycott and declining sales.
“I am one of — if not the — most privileged trans people in this country right now; I don’t want people to look at me and say, ‘Oh, yep, the community’s alright,’” the activist said during an interview with <a href="https://www.them.us/story/dylan-mulvaney-life-after-girlhood-now-awards-2023">Them</a>, expressing interest in getting other transgender people into the spotlight. 
Rather than acknowledging any negative impact on the Bud Light brand, Mulvaney said companies should all be trying to partner with trans-identified individuals for ad campaigns.
“For a long time, I felt so lucky that these opportunities were coming my way that I thought it was by accident. But now I realize how much power I actually have,” Mulvaney told the outlet. “If a brand wants to work with me so bad, then they should work with other trans people, too. It’s not enough to just hire me, this white, skinny trans girl. I want all the dolls getting all the brand deals.”
The Bud Light controversy began on April 1 when the influencer published a video on Instagram featuring a can of Bud Light with Mulvaney&#8217;s face on it. A backlash against the national beer brand was swift and immediate, with consumers leading a boycott that has lasted for months, impacting both Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s sales and Bud Light&#8217;s reputation.
The influencer met with President Joe Biden at the White House at the end of last year, which was also discussed during the interview.
“I said ‘yes,’ because at that point I didn’t realize the difference between existing as a trans person and being an activist,” Mulvaney said of getting the invitation. “But now I can think of a thousand other trans people who would’ve been even better.”
Bud Light isn&#8217;t the only brand dealing with boycotts. Target has also been making headlines for selling &#8220;tuck-friendly&#8221; swimwear in its stores and partnering with a designer who has used occult imagery, including items that said, &#8220;Satan Respects Pronouns.&#8221;
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Since the public outcry began, Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value as of last week.
“I’m scared,” the TikTok user told the publication. “I never expected to have people following me, or experience such negative media attention. I walk into a room and I never know if somebody is going to really love me or really hate me.”
Before becoming nationally known, Mulvaney did a TikTok series called “Days of Girlhood” documenting the influencer’s “transition” process.  Other brands the influencer <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/dylan-mulvaney-has-partnerships-these-brands-bud-light-list-1794187">partnered</a> with include Nike, Ulta Beauty, Maybelline, Kitchenaid, CeraVe, Kate Spade, InstaCart, and Crest toothpaste, among others.

Dylan Mulvaney Urges More Brands To Partner With Trans People Even After Bud Light Debacle

Celebrities

Transgender

U.S.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/garth-brooks-shares-a-funny-anecdote-about-wife-trisha-yearwood-at-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-for-keith-whitley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garth Brooks</a> weighed in on serving Bud Light at his new bar in Nashville and made it clear that he was going to &#8220;serve every brand of beer&#8221; and that if people don&#8217;t like that, &#8220;there are plenty of other places&#8221; they can go.
During the 61-year-old singer&#8217;s appearance on <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/country/garth-brooks-country-live-panel-nashville-interview-melinda-newman-1235348128/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Billboard&#8217;s Country Live in Conversation</a>, the country music star talked about his new bar &#8220;Friends in Low Places Bar &amp; Honky-Tonk.” He appeared to take a shot at other bar owners like Kid Rock and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-rich" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Rich</a> on the famed Broadway strip who have supported the boycott of Bud Light following a partnership with trans-identifying activist Dylan Mulvaney.
&#8220;Yes, we&#8217;re going to serve every brand of beer,&#8221; Brooks said. &#8220;We just are. It&#8217;s not our decision to make.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
You made the song what it is… now let’s make the BAR what it can be! Follow Friends in Low Places Bar <a href="https://twitter.com/FriendsBarNash?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FriendsBarNash</a> and join us!!!! love, g
Hit RT to tell YOUR Friends in Low Places!!!! <a href="https://t.co/g87aMDFh0h">pic.twitter.com/g87aMDFh0h</a>
&mdash; Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/garthbrooks/status/1534263283947122688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;If you come into this house, love one another,&#8221; he added. &#8220;If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.&#8221;
&#8220;In my existence, one a**hole can turn the whole tide down there,&#8221; Brooks continued. &#8220;My thing is, let’s create a place that you feel safe in.&#8221;
Brooks also said he wanted make his bar a place where a person can &#8220;feel good&#8221; and &#8220;safe.&#8221;
&#8220;I want the Chick-fil-A of honky tonks,&#8221; the &#8220;Thunder Rolls&#8221; hitmaker said. &#8220;I want a place you go in where you feel good, you feel safe. Everybody&#8217;s got good manners.&#8221;
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&#8220;I&#8217;m hoping that there&#8217;s right when you walk in it&#8217;s a &#8216;Love Everybody&#8217; stated right there,&#8221; he added. &#8220;That&#8217;s what it&#8217;s about, right? So I want a place that&#8217;s just safe. That feels good.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-rich-says-cases-and-cases-of-bud-light-piling-up-at-his-nashville-bar-after-mulvaney-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rich</a> previously said that said &#8220;cases and cases&#8221; of Bud Light were piling up at his Nashville bar after Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s partnership with Mulvaney.
&#8220;I think the customers decide. Customers are king,&#8221; Rich said. &#8220;Our number one selling beer up until a few days ago was, guess what? Bud Light. That was the number one beer. We got cases and cases and cases of it sitting back there.&#8221;
&#8220;But in the past several days, you&#8217;re hard-pressed to find anyone ordering one,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So as a business owner, I go, &#8216;Hey, if you aren&#8217;t ordering it, we got to put something else in here.&#8217; At the end of the day, that&#8217;s capitalism. … That&#8217;s how it works.&#8221;
The &#8220;Amazed&#8221; hitmaker previously made headlines when he joined fellow musicians like Travis Tritt and Rock in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-rich-travis-tritt-join-boycott-of-bud-light-after-brand-partners-with-dylan-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boycotting</a> the brand over the Mulvaney partnership.

Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood-2

Garth Brooks Weighs In On Serving Bud Light At His Bar: ‘There Are Plenty Of Other Places’

Garth Brooks Weighs In On Serving Bud Light At His Bar: 'There Are Plenty Of Other Places'

Entertainment

Garth Brooks

Nashville

The latest estimates of the staggering losses suffered by Anheuser-Busch since April 1, the day the Dylan Mulvaney controversy exploded, put their loss in market value at about <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12152847/Bud-Light-parent-company-Anheuser-Busch-lost-staggering-27-BILLION-market-value.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$27 billion</a> by the end of May.
The company had a $134.55 billion value as of March 31 before it plunged to $107.44 billion by the end of May, according to Dow Jones Market Data Group. The company’s stock plummeted 19.98% from its high in March. That 20% drop enters the zone of a bear market. Bud Light sales revenues have dropped 25.7% for the week ending May 20 compared to the same week in 2022, Bump Williams Consulting estimated.
On April 1, Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, posted a video to his 1.8 million followers on Instagram promoting his partnership with Bud Light. “This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it,” Mulvaney said.
By May 24, a report had estimated Anheuser-Busch InBev’s market value plunging $15.7. That estimate came from <a href="https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/bud-light-boycott-already-costs-anheuser-busch-15-7-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investor&#8217;s Business Daily</a>, which used a conversion to U.S. dollars using data from S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence.
“We believe there is a subset of American consumers who will not drink a Bud Light for the foreseeable future,” Jared Dinges, beverage analyst at JPMorgan Chase, said on May 23. “We believe a 12% to 13% volume decline on an annualized basis would be a reasonable assumption.”
“Shares [of Anheuser-Busch] have underperformed EU Beer peers by 15% since the start of April,” Dinges continued. “We believe this is due to U.S. uncertainty, as investor focus has shifted squarely to the potential impact from the Bud Light controversy. &#8230; We do not expect the lost sales to be recovered in fiscal year 2024.”
Anson Frericks, the former president of sales and distribution for Anheuser-Busch, had intimated that trouble lay ahead for the company, telling The Daily Wire he foresaw “a long, hot, dry summer for Anheuser-Busch.”
“I think that you&#8217;re going to see sales continue to be down because customers, it&#8217;s too easy for them to switch to other brands, and they&#8217;re seeing the impact of their results,” he continued. “If they want those customers back, they have an easy decision that they can make, which is saying, ‘We want Bud Light customers back, therefore Bud Light is not going to get involved with political issues moving forward.’ If not, they&#8217;re probably going to be in a worse position next year and their sales will continue to decline.”

San Diego Padres v Washington Nationals

Anheuser-Busch InBev Market Value Plunges Further, Staggering $27 Billion Drop Since Mulvaney Fiasco: Report

Anheuser-Busch

A hometown crowd erupted in boos when Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass walked onto the field on Wednesday — his first appearance since he commented on the Bud Light and Target boycotts and then, a short time later, apologized for doing so.
Several separate waves of boos could be heard in a video clip shared by The Toronto Star&#8217;s baseball columnist Mike Wilner.
WATCH:
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Anthony Bass comes into the game, greeted by a couple of separate choruses of boos. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bluejays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bluejays</a> <a href="https://t.co/NM3IpEA91i">pic.twitter.com/NM3IpEA91i</a>
&mdash; Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wilnerness/status/1664083776870264839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bass first stirred controversy when he shared an Instagram video from creator Ryan Miller — who called on Christians to boycott Target over clothing catering to trans-identifying children and Bud Light over its partnership with trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The Major League pitcher racked up a second round of criticisms when he offered an apology, saying in part, &#8220;I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine. I am truly sorry for that. As of right now, I am using the Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Statement from Anthony Bass: <a href="https://t.co/UXLrx1HVO5">pic.twitter.com/UXLrx1HVO5</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1663638939876356096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Critics attacked Bass for apologizing, noting that he professed to be a Christian and arguing that his apology amounted to a compromise of his beliefs.
&#8220;Looks like a hostage video. Congrats on getting a Christian scalp, Blue Jays,&#8221; one person <a href="https://twitter.com/fugitivemama/status/1663652055838498816" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> in response.
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&#8220;How shameful you force him to make this idiotic statement and apologize for his beliefs,&#8221; Tom Elliott added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
How shameful you force him to make this idiotic statement and apologize for his beliefs
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1663653347155402752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Humiliating. What type of employer would force their employee to do something like this?&#8221; Terry Schilling <a href="https://twitter.com/Schilling1776/status/1663663214758879234" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a>. &#8220;It’s truly enraging. And all around the sport of baseball. Woke ruins everything.&#8221;
It was unclear from the video taken of Bass at Wednesday&#8217;s game whether the crowd was booing because he had shared a video supporting the boycotts or because he later gave in to the calls to apologize for it.

Milwaukee Brewers v Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Pitcher Booed By Home Crowd After Commenting On Bud Light, Target Boycotts

Baseball

Canada

Major League Baseball

Target

Toronto

World

Bud Light has announced that the brand is donating $200,000 to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) despite facing an ongoing boycott over its partnership with social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman. 
Parent company Anheuser-Busch announced the donation to the NGLCC, which defines itself as “the business voice of the LGBT community,” in a May 30th <a href="https://www.anheuser-busch.com/newsroom/bud-light-and-the-nglcc-continue-to-empower-lgbtq-owned-small-businesses-across-america">press release</a> titled “Bud Light And The NGLCC Continue To Empower LGBTQ+ Owned Small Businesses Across America.” 
“We look forward to extending our work with the NGLCC to continue making a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ businesses that play a critical role in bringing people everywhere, together,” the announcement said.
“Anheuser-Busch has a strong track record of industry leadership in supporting the LGBTQ+ community,” it continued. “Over the past 20 years Anheuser-Busch has supported both local and national non-profit organizations that are committed to advocating for LGBTQ+ equality.” 
The $200,000 donation will specifically support the NGLCC’s Communities of Color Initiative, which “is designed to support the growth and success of minority LGBTQ+-owned businesses through certification, scholarships and business development.”
Meanwhile, the NGLCC celebrated the donation, remarking, “We’re honored to continue our partnership with Bud Light in support of LGBTQ+ businesses.”
Bud Light is still feeling the effects of the ongoing boycott, which began when the corporation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-confirms-brand-partnership-with-dylan-mulvaney-aim-to-authentically-connect-with-various-demographics">sent</a> Mulvaney a can of Bud Light with his face on it. 
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The company has even offered to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-offers-to-buy-back-expiring-cases-of-bud-light-after-dylan-mulvaney-flap">buy back</a> expiring cases of Bud Light during the boycott and is at risk of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-sales-continue-to-plummet-may-soon-lose-status-as-number-one-beer">losing its status</a> as the world’s number one best-selling beer. May was the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-31/ab-inbev-set-for-worst-month-since-covid-as-bud-light-sales-fall#xj4y7vzkg">worst month</a> for Anheuser-Busch since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020.
A previous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-to-sponsor-pride-parades-despite-ongoing-boycott">report</a> from The Daily Wire revealed that Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch would be sponsoring at least three different Pride parades.

Bud Light in Hand

Bud Light Announces $200,000 Donation To LGBT Chamber Of Commerce Despite Ongoing Boycott

Business

LGBT

Social Issues

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a> sales continue to fall, a reality that could soon place its status as the world’s number-one beer brand in jeopardy.
Bud Light recently garnered controversy after partnering with social media influencer <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dylan Mulvaney</a>, a man who identifies as a woman and documented his &#8220;gender transition&#8221; on TikTok. Sales for the beer brand fell 25.7% for the week ended May 20, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/30/bud-light-sales-plunge-25-7-modelo-closes-beer-gap/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> shared with The New York Post from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ. Modelo Especial, which saw sales grow 9.2%, could meanwhile replace Bud Light.
“While Bud Light loses week after week, Modelo Especial gains week after week and now Modelo outsells Bud Light on a national basis across all trade channels combined,” Bump Williams remarked in a comment to The New York Post. “If this continues Modelo will surpass Bud Light for the year.”
Other brands owned by Anheuser-Busch continued to decline for the week ended May 20: Budweiser sales decreased 11.2%, Michelob Ultra sales fell 6.5%, Busch Light sales decreased 5.2%, and Natural Light sales dropped 4.9%.
Constellation Brands owns and produces Modelo Especial in the United States, while Anheuser-Busch produces the brand in other nations.
Yuengling Flight sales increased 47.6%. Williams told The New York Post, “Yuengling is having a great moment with the greatest growth of all the premium beers.”
Anheuser-Busch seems to have alienated those on both ends of the political spectrum in the weeks after the controversial partnership with Mulvaney. Owners of gay bars have threatened to launch <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-activists-furious-at-bud-light-for-backing-away-from-mulvaney-call-for-a-boycott-of-their-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boycotts</a> after the company issued a statement interpreted as downplaying the alliance, while the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization, removed the firm’s perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index, which the group <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/corporate-equality-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> as the “national benchmarking tool on corporate policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.”
HRC officials said the conglomerate missed a “key moment” to support Mulvaney as the company sought to mend relations with conservatives. Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth had issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-breaks-long-silence-amid-dylan-mulvaney-pr-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> about the partnership, although the communication fell short of mentioning the nod to Mulvaney or transgenderism. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” the executive said. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
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The continued backlash against Bud Light comes as other brands embracing leftist ideology experience tumult. Stock market value for retail behemoth Target declined precipitously in recent days after the firm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-slammed-after-offering-female-swimsuits-that-have-extra-crotch-coverage-are-tuck-friendly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marketed</a> a female swimsuit as “tuck-friendly” and with “extra crotch coverage,” as well as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-faces-backlash-over-pride-collection-designer-behind-satan-respects-pronouns-shirts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> an artist who previously created Satanic items to make various designs for the company.
One recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-had-a-special-push-to-hire-lgbtq-designers-for-pride-collection-ahead-of-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from The Daily Wire found that Target had published a sustainability report which called for supplier diversity among firms creating Pride Month apparel, as well as diversity initiatives for women and racial minorities. Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-loses-perfect-lgbtq-equity-score-by-missing-key-moment-to-stand-up-for-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Daily Wire found that Anheuser-Busch has ESG commitments centered on diversity and climate efforts. Skeptics of the ESG movement contend that the philosophy centers on social causes in a manner that distracts from profitability and uses corporate power to advance leftist agendas.

Budweiser And Bud Light

Bud Light Sales Continue To Plummet, May Soon Lose Status As Number-One Beer

Bud Light Sales Continue To Plummet, May Lose Status As Top Beer

boycott

Retail giant Target has lost $10 billion in market capitalization in ten days, largely due to the backlash over prominent LGBTQ+ PRIDE displays including transgender-friendly clothing items for children.
According to a <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/28/target-loses-10b-following-boycott-calls-over-lgbtq-friendly-clothing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published Sunday by The New York Post, Target&#8217;s stock price was hovering near $160.96 a share. However, viral videos showing &#8220;tuck-friendly&#8221; and &#8220;binding&#8221; bathing suits for trans-identifying kids — along with greeting cards celebrating queerness in a display clearly aimed at young children – led to calls for a boycott. Ten days later, the stock price had dropped to $138.93 per share.
A drop of $22 per share amounts to a 14% decrease in value – which translates to a $10 billion loss for the Minnesota-based company.
As soon as word began to spread across social media platforms about the retailer&#8217;s prominent PRIDE displays — which also included LGBTQ+ themed baby clothes — calls quickly began to grow louder for a boycott of the company.
According to earlier reports, Target immediately focused on damage control. Executives participated in an &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-situation-target-makes-emergency-calls-after-backlash-to-tuck-friendly-female-swimwear-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emergency call</a>&#8221; in in effort to avoid what one insider referred to as a &#8220;Bud Light situation.&#8221;
The insider <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/target-holds-emergency-meeting-lgbtq-pride-merchandise-stores-avoid-bud-light-situation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a> that, at least in some areas across the country, &#8220;We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage.&#8221;
The &#8220;Bud Light situation&#8221; the insider referenced was the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/getting-worse-and-worse-former-anheuser-busch-executive-predicts-bud-light-backlash-is-not-going-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">immediate backlash</a> and plummeting sales that followed a short-lived partnership between the Anheuser-Busch signature product and trans-identifying influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In the weeks following Mulvaney&#8217;s promotion, Anheuser-Busch has lost billions in market capitalization and at least two marketing executives connected with the partnership have been placed on leave.
By late last week, Investors Business Daily was <a href="https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/bud-light-boycott-already-costs-anheuser-busch-15-7-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reporting</a> that Anheuser-Busch had already lost upwards of $17.5 billion — and the company was resorting to offering retailers the chance to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-offers-to-buy-back-expiring-cases-of-bud-light-after-dylan-mulvaney-flap" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sell back</a> expired merchandise that was still sitting on shelves.

Stock exchange numbers and flames

Target Loses $10 Billion In Value In Just Ten Days: Report

Target Loses $10 Billion In Just Ten Days: Report

It has not been a great year so far for beer giant Anheuser-Busch or its conservative customers. Bud Light, one of the company&#8217;s flagship brands, ignited a national firestorm after it partnered with transgender activist and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney back in April. Since the boycott began, Anheuser-Busch has reportedly lost almost $16 billion in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-inbev-market-value-has-plunged-staggering-15-7-billion-since-mulvaney-fiasco-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">market value</a> as cases upon cases of the once-iconic beer languish on store shelves across the country. The situation is so bad that the company is practically <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/23/bud-light-giving-away-free-beer-for-memorial-day-following-dylan-mulvaney-disaster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving away</a> 15-packs for Memorial Day in an effort to unload product.
Molson Coors, the producer of brands such as Miller Lite and Coors Lite, has profited significantly from Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s plummeting sales, but the company also suffered backlash after a feminist commercial, released in March to honor Women&#8217;s History Month, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/miller-lite-responds-to-backlash-over-woke-feminist-beer-commercial-appreciate-the-humor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resurfaced</a> online.
In response, many conservatives have switched to a less publicly woke brand of beer such as Yuengling, the nation&#8217;s oldest operating brewery, or to a different kind of alcoholic beverage entirely — liquor.
Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s parent company, AB InBev, and Molson Coors own the top 10 best-selling beer brands in the country, and a similar situation exists in the liquor market. You may see hundreds of different brands on display if you walk into a relatively large liquor store, but odds are the vast majority of them are owned by five companies.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, the biggest liquor companies in the world have used their brands to push transgender ideology and promote drag queens.
<h2>Diageo</h2>
Diageo, a British company created in 1997 by the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, is the largest liquor company in the world not owned by the Chinese Communist Party. It produces 40% of the world&#8217;s Scotch whiskey and owns the world&#8217;s best-selling vodka (Smirnoff) and liqueur (Baileys Irish Cream).
One of Diageo&#8217;s top scotch brands, J&amp;B, <a href="https://www.out.com/transgender/2022/12/21/whiskey-viral-commercial-trans-acceptance-video-watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> an ad in Spain around Christmastime last year featuring an elderly man who secretly learns how to apply makeup. He then uses his newfound skills to make up his trans-identifying grandchild. The grandfather then shows off the now-feminine grandchild to the rest of the family, who happily embrace the two and celebrate by imbibing J&amp;B.
A message in Spanish at the end of the commercial read, &#8220;The magic is not only in Christmas. It&#8217;s also in us.&#8221;
Another massive Diageo brand, Smirnoff, bragged about its &#8220;decades of commitment to the LGBTQUIA+ community&#8221; when it <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smirnoff-calls-on-kings-queens-and-every-drag-performer-in-between-to-show-up-for-its-most-inclusive-drag-celebration-ever-301577247.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> its &#8220;Show Up. Show Off!&#8221; drag queen competition in June 2022. Shea Couleé, described by Smirnoff as &#8220;drag royalty,&#8221; kicked off the competition in Chicago, and the winner received a $50,000 talent contract with the brand as well as an invitation to serve as an ambassador at Smirnoff Pride 2023, according to the press release.
One participant in that competition, drag queen and transgender activist Maxine St. James LaQueene, <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/05/09/smirnoff-drag-queen-partner-flashes-bystanders-at-texas-capitol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protested</a> in the Texas state capitol earlier this month against a bill that would ban transgender surgeries for minors. LaQueene allegedly exposed his backside and genitals to bystanders as he was being taken into custody for disrupting the legislature. Smirnoff <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/smirnoff-vodka-partners-trans-woman-recently-disrupted-texas-legislature-anti-trans-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> any official partnership with LaQueene in an email to Fox News.
Transgender actor Laverne Cox has also <a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/laverne-cox-smirnoff-womens-history-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> in multiple Smirnoff ads over the years.
Diageo also <a href="https://www.diageo.com/en/news-and-media/stories/2022/baileys-puts-inclusivity-at-the-heart-of-a-global-campaign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> &#8220;three of the UK’s most popular drag queens&#8221; as part of a Halloween ad campaign for Baileys Irish Cream.
Some of Diageo&#8217;s <a href="https://www.eater.com/drinks/2016/1/26/10830410/liquor-brands-hierarchy-diageo-beam-suntory-pernod-ricard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best-known brands</a> include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Johnnie Walker scotch, J&amp;B scotch, and Crown Royal Canadian whiskey</li>
<li>Vodka: Smirnoff, Ketel One, and Cîroc</li>
<li>Rum: Captain Morgan</li>
<li>Tequila: Don Julio</li>
<li>Gin: Aviation Gin, Gordon&#8217;s, and Tanqueray</li>
<li>Liqueur: Baileys Irish Cream</li>
</ul>
<h2>Pernod Ricard</h2>
Pernod Ricard is a French company founded in 1975 and second only behind Diageo based on overall production. Its premium vodka brand, Absolut, has frequently partnered with drag queens, including an annual event in Canada called Empire&#8217;s Ball <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/absolut-empire-s-ball-celebrates-toronto-pride-with-showstopping-grand-finale-881403065.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featuring</a> drag queens from around the country. In the press release for the 2022 Empire&#8217;s Ball, the Absolut brand was described as a &#8220;long standing LGBTQ2S+ ally,&#8221; and the brand promised to donate money to LGBT organizations.
Pernod Ricard even <a href="https://www.just-drinks.com/news/pernod-ricard-releases-drag-queen-documentary-for-absolut-vodka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">produced</a> a documentary film in 2021 about the drag queen ball, entitled &#8220;Underneath the Empire.&#8221;
Absolut also collaborated with &#8220;drag icon&#8221; Tayce for a fashion campaign designed to create &#8220;a world where what you wear isn’t tied to the binds of gender, seasonal trends, religious expression, or function,&#8221; <a href="https://www.pernod-ricard.com/en/locations/uk/media/fashion-trio-serve-first-borntomix-collaboration-absolut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a press release from Pernod Ricard.
Absolut has also <a href="https://toronadosd.com/absolut-vodkas-surprising-decision-to-stop-sponsoring-rupauls-drag-race/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> several seasons of the popular drag queen competition show &#8220;RuPaul&#8217;s Drag Race.&#8221;
Some of Pernod Ricard&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Chivas Regal scotch, Glenlivet scotch, Jameson Irish whiskey, Redbreast Irish whiskey, and Jefferson&#8217;s bourbon</li>
<li>Vodka: Absolut</li>
<li>Gin: Beefeater and Seagram&#8217;s</li>
<li>Rum: Malibu and Havana Club</li>
<li>Liqueur: Kahlúa coffee liqueur</li>
</ul>
<h2>Beam Suntory</h2>
Johannes &#8220;Jacob&#8221; Beam began selling his homemade whiskey in 1795 and became one of the earliest bourbon distillers in the U.S. The whiskey brand went through several names until it settled on Jim Beam in 1943 in honor of James Beauregard Beam — who led the company through Prohibition. Meanwhile, Suntory was founded in Japan as a wine shop before its founder opened the country&#8217;s first malt whiskey distillery in 1923. Beam Suntory was created after Suntory Holdings purchased Beam Inc. in 2011.
In 2020, Jim Beam <a href="https://www.iheartradio.ca/virginradio/kelowna/contests/bring-it-to-the-ballroom-1.13871131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertised</a> an event called &#8220;Bring It To The Ballroom!&#8221; that featured several drag queens, including &#8220;Jimbo the Drag Clown,&#8221; according to a post from iHeart Radio. The event was ultimately postponed due to concerns over COVID.
Beam Suntory brand Hornitos tequila <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lgbtq-activists-awarded-grants-from-hornitos-tequila-to-amplify-advocacy-work-301573280.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> a series of grants to LGBT activists in June 2022, including one to Maria Louise Roman-Taylorson of the TransLatin Coalition. Each of the grantees received $10,000, and Hornitos noted that it had already given over $100,000 to the LGBT advocacy group GLAAD.
Suntory hosts several Pride events around the world every year for Pride month, <a href="https://www.suntory.com/topics/2022/08/007901.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> Drag Trivia Quizzes in its Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, offices last year.
Some of Beam Suntory&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Jim Beam bourbon, Maker&#8217;s Mark bourbon, Old Crow bourbon, Basil Hayden&#8217;s bourbon, Knob Creek bourbon, Ardmore scotch, Laphroiag scotch, Suntory brand Japanese whiskeys, and Canadian Club whiskey</li>
<li>Tequila: Sauza and Hornitos</li>
<li>Vodka: Pinnacle</li>
</ul>
<h2>Bacardi</h2>
Bacardi is the largest family-owned liquor company in the world. Founded in Cuba in 1862, Bacardi fled the country after communist guerrillas led by Fidel Castro overthrew the government in 1959. The executive of the company at the time, Jose Bosch, became an ardent <a href="https://businessinsider.mx/57-bacardi-and-the-long-fight-for-cuba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opponen</a>t of the Castro regime.
Nevertheless, the company has become the proud sponsor of leftist social policies in recent years.
Chris Cabrera, a transgender activist and bartender who also identifies as nonbinary, <a href="https://www.liquor.com/inclusive-space-award-2022-6363120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became</a> the New York City brand ambassador for Grey Goose vodka, owned by Bacardi, in 2018. Cabrera facilitated Grey Goose&#8217;s sponsorship of the annual drag queen pageant at the Stonewall Inn in 2019 — the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Bacardi then promoted Cabrera to the position of national LGBTQ+ ambassador in 2020.
Bacardi <a href="https://bacardilgfevents.com/e/bacard%C3%AD-inaugural-drag-ball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> its inaugural drag ball in New Orleans in July of last year, and the company <a href="https://m.facebook.com/events/582366663403012/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> another drag queen event in Canada back in February dubbed &#8220;Cowboys Bacardi Carnival.&#8221;
Bacardi, along with Diageo, is one of the biggest <a href="https://www.drinkstrade.com.au/bacardi-diageo-proud-supporters-of-sydneys-big-gay-celebration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsors</a> of Sydney&#8217;s annual Pride celebration, with the main Bacardi brand and the company&#8217;s gin brand, Bombay Sapphire, hosting several drag queen events.
Some of Bacardi&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Rum: Bacardi and the U.S. rights to Havana Club</li>
<li>Whiskey: Dewar&#8217;s scotch</li>
<li>Tequila: Patrón</li>
<li>Gin: Bombay Sapphire</li>
<li>Vodka: Grey Goose</li>
</ul>
<h2>Brown-Forman</h2>
The Brown-Forman Corporation was founded as a whiskey company in 1870, but only became one of the world&#8217;s largest liquor companies after it acquired Jack Daniel&#8217;s Tennessee whiskey in 1956. More than the other companies in this article, Brown-Forman depends on a single brand for its high position in the liquor market — Jack Daniel&#8217;s is the second best-selling whiskey in the world after Diageo&#8217;s Johnnie Walker.
However, the company received increased scrutiny after a Jack Daniel&#8217;s ad campaign <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jack-daniels-drag-queen-campaign-faces-renewed-backlash-after-bud-light-and-dylan-mulvaney-brand-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featuring</a> drag queens resurfaced in the wake of Bud Light&#8217;s Dylan Mulvaney debacle. Two years ago, the whiskey brand partnered with three drag queens for a series of videos promoting its Tennessee Fire brand. The partnership, referred to as “Drag Queen Summer Glamp,” showed the drag queens plan a Pride celebration.
“Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire is honored to partner with Bebe, Trinity, and Manila on a campaign that reaffirms our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” Jack Fire Brand Manager Lauren Richmond said in a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jack-daniels-tennessee-fire-and-rupauls-drag-race-alums-celebrate-pride-301314390.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “This series demonstrates our brand’s holistic approach to engaging the consumers we serve through culture and unexpected partnerships.”
One of the drag queens, who performs under the moniker Trinity the Tuck, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/jack-daniels-whiskey-boycott-calls-lgbt-campaign-1792890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Jack Daniel&#8217;s gets drag culture—which is all about celebrating individuality and inviting others to accept you as you are.&#8221;
Jack Daniel&#8217;s Canadian branch also partnered with a drag queen to promote its apple-flavored whiskey.
Brown-Forman&#8217;s vodka brand, Finlandia, <a href="https://louisvilledowntown.org/event/drag-queens-on-ice-december-4th-7-to-9-p-m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sponsored</a> a December 2022 event in Louisville, Kentucky titled &#8220;Drag Queens on Ice,&#8221; according to the Louisville Downtown Partnership.
Some of Brown-Forman&#8217;s best-known brands include:
<ul>
<li>Whiskey: Jack Daniel&#8217;s Tennessee whiskey, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Old Forester bourbon, and GlenDronach scotch</li>
<li>Vodka: Finlandia</li>
</ul>
These are by no means exhaustive lists of the brands owned by these companies or the trans- and drag queen-themed events they&#8217;ve sponsored. Well over 100 different brands are owned by these five companies combined.
There is slightly more competition in the liquor market compared to the beer market — just two companies own the top 10 best-selling beer brands in the country — but it is evident that there is no ideological competition in the alcohol industry. Practically every major company has expressed its support for transgender ideology and hosted drag queen events through one or more of its brands.
And while discerning consumers can turn to microbreweries as a non-woke substitute for corporate beer, the home production of liquor is still strictly illegal <a href="https://www.ttb.gov/distilled-spirits/penalties-for-illegal-distilling#:~:text=While%20individuals%20of%20legal%20drinking,26%20United%20States%20Code%20(U.S.C.)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Treasury Department&#8217;s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Producing your own liquor can result in a prison sentence of up to five years and a hefty fine.
The dominance of the liquor companies by a handful of firms ensures that consumers have only the illusion of choice in the market and that their dollars will go to supporting leftist social policies.

Bottles of Scotch Whisky brand, J&B, rare blend label seen

Trade Bud Light For Bourbon? Well, Odds Are Your Favorite Liquor Brands Also Support Trans Activists, Drag Queens

Drag Queens

Readers Pass

Whiskey

A new report estimates Anheuser-Busch InBev’s market value has plunged a staggering $15.7 billion since April 1, the day the Dylan Mulvaney controversy exploded.
That estimate came from <a href="https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/bud-light-boycott-already-costs-anheuser-busch-15-7-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Investor&#8217;s Business Daily</a>, which used a conversion to U.S. dollars using data from S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence. On April 1, Mulvaney promoted Bud Light during the NCAA March Madness tournament.
“We believe there is a subset of American consumers who will not drink a Bud Light for the foreseeable future,” Jared Dinges, beverage analyst at JPMorgan Chase, said on Tuesday. “We believe a 12% to 13% volume decline on an annualized basis would be a reasonable assumption.”
Shares of Anheuser-Busch&#8217;s stock have plummeted 11.9% since April 1, while Molson Coors Beverage shares have soared 20%, rewarding Molson Coors with over $2.2 billion in additional market value. According to JPMorgan analysts, U.S. beer volumes for Anheuser-Busch could plunge 12% this year.
“Shares [of Anheuser-Busch] have underperformed EU Beer peers by 15% since the start of April,” Dinges continued. “We believe this is due to U.S. uncertainty, as investor focus has shifted squarely to the potential impact from the Bud Light controversy. &#8230; We do not expect the lost sales to be recovered in fiscal year 2024.”
Bud Light accounts for 7% of Anheuser-Busch’s volume while Budweiser accounts for 11%, Corona 8%, and Brahma 7%.
Anson Frericks, the former president of sales and distribution for Anheuser-Busch, recently intimated that trouble lay ahead for the company, telling The Daily Wire he foresaw “a long, hot, dry summer for Anheuser-Busch.”
“I think that you&#8217;re going to see sales continue to be down because customers, it&#8217;s too easy for them to switch to other brands, and they&#8217;re seeing the impact of their results,” he continued. “If they want those customers back, they have an easy decision that they can make, which is saying, ‘We want Bud Light customers back, therefore Bud Light is not going to get involved with political issues moving forward.’ If not, they&#8217;re probably going to be in a worse position next year and their sales will continue to decline.”
On April 1, Mulvaney, a man who identifies as a woman, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqgTftujqZc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=be47ac0a-7017-4d6d-a424-8dcf6d27a837" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVGDPlG42bU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> to his 1.8 million followers on Instagram promoting his partnership with Bud Light. “This month I celebrated my day 365 of womanhood, and Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever, a can with my face on it,” Mulvaney said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-long-hot-dry-summer-former-anheuser-busch-president-makes-dire-prediction-about-the-future-of-bud-light">‘A Long, Hot, Dry Summer’: Former Anheuser-Busch President Makes Dire Prediction About The Future Of Bud Light</a>

Bud Light Boycott Continues After Company Partnered With Transgender Influencer

Anheuser-Busch InBev Market Value Has Plunged Staggering $15.7 Billion Since Mulvaney Fiasco: Report

Food

Bama Budweiser, an independent wholesaler of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anheuser-busch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anheuser-Busch</a> products based in Montgomery, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/alabama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a>, released an <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertisement</a> last week in an effort to distance the business from transgender activist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dylan Mulvaney</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a>, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, garnered controversy after the brand partnered with Mulvaney, a man who claims to be a woman and documented his purported gender transition on social media. Steve Tatum, the general manager and vice president of Bama Budweiser, said in a one-minute local radio advertisement that his company is “upset about” the move and has made their feelings “known to the top leadership at Anheuser-Busch.”
“We at Bama Budweiser, an independent wholesaler, employ around 100 people who live here, work here, and our children go to school here,” Tatum said in the advertisement, according to <a href="https://www.al.com/news/2023/05/montgomery-beer-distributor-on-bud-light-controversy-you-deserve-to-know-the-truth.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> from local media outlets. “We do not, and as I said before, did not support this issue involving Dylan Mulvaney.”
Tensions between Anheuser-Busch and distributors have been elevated in recent weeks as the companies suffer from consumer backlash against Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sos-anheuser-busch-now-sending-free-beer-to-every-employee-of-wholesaler-network-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offered</a> a free case of beer to every employee in the firm’s wholesaler network as an apology.
Tatum, on the other hand, repeated previous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-single-can-anheuser-busch-sends-letter-to-minimize-disastrous-mulvaney-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assertions</a> from Anheuser-Busch executives which downplayed the nature of the marketing effort.
“There was one single can made. It was not for sale and wasn’t properly approved,” the advertisement continued. “Dylan Mulvaney is not under contract with Bud Light. The videos you may have seen are Mulvaney’s own social media posts that went viral and many web-based news outlets have distorted the story. You deserve to know the truth, and life is too short to let a couple of individuals decide what you can eat or drink or spend your hard-earned money on. And remember, making friends is our business, not enemies.”
Tatum also claimed that “the voice of the consumer has been heard, and Anheuser-Busch has taken action,” even as the company has not yet <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-breaks-long-silence-amid-dylan-mulvaney-pr-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a meaningful apology which addresses transgender ideology or seeks to make amends with conservatives.
Market data now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-sales-plummet-for-fifth-straight-week-as-customers-react-against-mulvaney-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicate</a> that sales for Bud Light plummeted nearly 24% in the week ended May 6 relative to the same period last year while other Anheuser-Busch brands suffered to a lesser extent. The company, which is owned by a Belgian conglomerate, now seems to have alienated those on both ends of the political spectrum: owners of gay bars have threatened to launch <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-activists-furious-at-bud-light-for-backing-away-from-mulvaney-call-for-a-boycott-of-their-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boycotts</a> after the firm issued a lackluster attempt to back away from Mulvaney.
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Anson Frericks, a former Anheuser-Busch executive who served as president for the company’s sales and distribution business, said in an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-long-hot-dry-summer-former-anheuser-busch-president-makes-dire-prediction-about-the-future-of-bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Daily Wire earlier this week that the firm can expect “a long, hot, dry summer” without efforts to win back consumers.
“I think that you’re going to see sales continue to be down because customers, it’s too easy for them to switch to other brands, and they’re seeing the impact of their results,” he commented. “If they want those customers back, they have an easy decision that they can make, which is saying, ‘We want Bud Light customers back, therefore Bud Light is not going to get involved with political issues moving forward.’ If not, they’re probably going to be in a worse position next year and their sales will continue to decline.”

‘Did Not Support This’: Independent Bud Light Distributor Releases Ad Distancing Itself From Dylan Mulvaney Controversy

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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/target" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Target</a> made “emergency” calls last week to managers and senior directors at the store after the company faced backlash for its Pride collection, which included “tuck-friendly” female swimwear and other products, according to a source inside the company. 
The calls were to direct some stores to make their Pride products display less prominent in order to avoid a “Bud Light situation,” a Target insider <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/target-holds-emergency-meeting-lgbtq-pride-merchandise-stores-avoid-bud-light-situation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News. 
&#8220;We were given 36 hours, told to take all of our Pride stuff, the entire section, and move it into a section that’s a third the size. From the front of the store to the back of the store, you can’t have anything on mannequins and no large signage,&#8221; the insider reportedly <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/target-holds-emergency-meeting-lgbtq-pride-merchandise-stores-avoid-bud-light-situation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
&#8220;We call our customers ‘guests,’ there is outrage on their part. This year, it is just exponentially more than any other year,&#8221; the source added. &#8220;I think given the current situation with Bud Light, the company is terrified of a Bud Light situation.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nobody-imagined-it-would-go-on-this-long-report-finds-bud-light-facing-unbelievable-boycott-after-mulvaney-controversy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light has seen plummeting sales</a> in the wake of a partnership with transgender-identifying activist and influencer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dylan-mulvaney" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dylan Mulvaney</a>. Target faced criticism last week after social media users pointed out that the store offered “tuck-friendly” and “extra crotch coverage” female swimsuits for sale.
A spokesperson for Target has said that these swimsuits were only for adults, and not children. Other products in the Target Pride <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-releases-latest-pride-collection-complete-with-kids-books-and-rainbow-items-for-babies">collection include</a> small shirts with phrases like “Just Be You And Feel The Love,” Pride-themed onesies, as well as rainbow-colored leggings, tutu skirts, and jumpers. 
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The calls on Friday focused on team safety and giving instructions on making some of the Pride products less prominent in the store.
&#8220;The call was super quick, it was 15 minutes. The first 10 minutes was about how to keep your team safe and not having to advocate for Target. The last five was, ‘Move this to the back, take down the mannequins and remove the signage,’” the source told Fox. 
In response to the controversy, Target announced that it has also removed some products from its stores, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-blasts-target-ceo-for-selling-out-lgbtq-community-after-retailer-pulls-trans-themed-merchandise" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly include</a> a sweater that read “cure transphobia not trans people” and a “too queer for here” tote bag. 
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/23/target-pride-lgbtq/9e84cb9c-f9b8-11ed-bafc-bf50205661da_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday. ”Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”

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