It’s no secret that Bud Light has taken a massive hit in sales in 2023, after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier this year on a commemorative can.
This started a major boycott from conservative beer drinkers, and we even saw boycotts from the likes of Kid Rock, Travis Tritt, John Rich, and more. Not to mention, Bud Light coolers at stadiums, concerts, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. were being filmed completely full, as people were simply refusing to buy the beer.
Bud Light then did their best to try and walk back the decision, although they never really came out with an apology per se, and they didn’t defend their decision with Dylan, which infuriated the LGBTQ community. They tried to straddle the fence, and found themselves with no loyalty on either side.
With the decline in sales, Bud Light was ultimately surpassed by Modelo as America’s favorite beer.
However, we have seen a number of people cool off on the boycott as the year has gone on, including Kid Rock, who admitted that he didn’t “want to hold their head under the water and drown them because they made a mistake” while speaking with Tucker Carlson.
And now, we have another big name in the sports and entertainment industry voicing his support for the beer, and it’s no other than UFC CEO Dana White.
White, who is a staunch Republican, recently announced a MASSIVE deal between the UFC and Bud Light, also recently sat down with Tucker Carlson to discuss going into business with the beer brand. And despite what we’ve seen this year, White argues that Bud Light is WAY more conservative than you’d think, especially compared to other beer brands.
“If you consider yourself a patriot, you should be drinking gallons of Bud Light! You should have Bud Light drums stacked in your garage and drinking it right out of the keg.
They are way more aligned with you than most of these other beer companies are. That I guarantee you. Take it from somebody w ho is in the know and who does business with the beer companies, you are way more aligned with Bud Light than any other beer company. We had multiple bidders on the table, they were one of them.
History has shown me, with relationships that I’ve had with other beer companies.. I consider myself a patriot, I’m a proud American… you are way more aligned with Anheuser-Busch than other beer companies. That I guarantee you.”
White admitted that he’s taking crap for the decision, but deep down knows he’s making the right decision.
And he may be right… the Mulvaney debacle was essentially a gift from the company, sent by one particular person/department of Anheuser Busch, who didn’t have the blessing from the very top. It wasn’t a campaign or a strategy, it wasn’t a product for sale… it was single commemorative can that was given as a gift to an influencer, and they give out tons of commemorative cans to various celebrities and influencers.
So minus this incident, is Bud Light the most conservative of the big beer brands? Dana White says so, and granted he has 100 million reasons to say so, but if you take him at his word as a guy who wouldn’t go into business with a “woke” brand, then he just might be right…
What do you think?
Here’s the full conversation with Dana White:
