Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) was interviewed by political commentator Benny Johnson on Monday, and told the pundit he would never drink Bud Light again because he didn’t want to enable “woke companies” and their goals of “trying to change our country, trying to change policy, [and] trying to change culture.”

It was the conservative icon’s way of encouraging Americans to continue boycotting Anheuser-Busch over its alliance with transgender Dylan Mulvaney which has reportedly cost the company in excess of $5 billion. They are now trying to do major damage control which does not appear to be working. DeSantis pointed out that conservatives wield the “power” to hold the company accountable.

“Why would you want to drink Bud Light? I mean like honestly, that’s like them rubbing our faces in it, and it’s like these companies that do this, if they never have any response, they are just gonna keep doing it,” DeSantis asserted.

“So, if you as a consumer are like… ‘yeah, they’re doing that, but I’m just gonna keep drinking it anyways,’ well, then they’re gonna keep doing it,” he contended. “So I think we have power as consumers to make our voice heard, and not on every company because sometimes conservative consumers aren’t going to make a dent in some companies. This one is one if you don’t have conservative beer drinkers, you’re gonna feel that and so you know.”

EXCLUSIVE: Gov. DeSantis On Bud Light Boycott:

"Why would you want to drink Bud Light?

If we don't push back they're gonna keep doing it. If you don't have conservative beer drinkers, they're gonna feel that.

It's a righteous. Pushback is in order.

I'll never drink Bud again" pic.twitter.com/tIOI1W8c1J

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 17, 2023

“Some of these controversies that come up, and people can kind of just say, ‘Oh, well it’s kind of a one-off, yeah, it was stupid to do,’ but it’s part of a larger thing where corporate America is trying to change our country. Trying to change policy, trying to change culture, and you know, I’d rather be governed by we the people than woke companies, and so I think [the] pushback is in order across the board including with Bud Light,” DeSantis proclaimed in the interview.

Mulvaney is a biological male that has been identifying as a woman for over a year. The transgender has also hooked up with Nike and other companies. It has caused a wave of backlash across the nation.

Bud Light sent Mulvaney six packs of their beer with his likeness on them to celebrate “365 Days of Girlhood.” He was then seen in an Instagram clip promoting the beer and in another one where the transgender was taking a bubble bath while drinking Bud Light as part of an ad campaign.

“Bud Light sent me possibly the best gift ever: a can with my face on it,” Mulvaney gushed, adding the hashtag #budlightpartner.

During his remarks on Friday night, Governor DeSantis spoke about the Bud Light controversy as part of the bigger picture… ESG is a threat that goes well beyond corporate virtue signaling. 👇

"The people also side with us on wanting to see an economy where businesses focus on… pic.twitter.com/bkgvXtMUzp

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) April 17, 2023

The CEO of Anheuser-Busch, Brendan Whitworth, released a statement last Friday attempting to douse the outrage fire that has exploded over the controversy. He didn’t apologize to those offended by the campaign and did not express any regrets over it which simply poured more gasoline on the fire.

“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” Whitworth remarked in the statement. “I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands, and our partners. Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.”

The governor told Johnson that he and Florida first lady Casey DeSantis prefer Guinness.

“What would I do? My wife and I, whenever we just go out for a beer, we actually like the stout, Guinness,” he elaborated, telling Johnson that they had “always been a fan” since they visited Dublin, Ireland.

Adding insult to injury for Anheuser-Busch, DeSantis’ team released a video that same day ridiculing Bud Light by putting a spotlight on the “real men of women’s sports.” It is a spot worthy of the Babylon Bee’s snark.

(Video Credit: Ron DeSantis)

The “Real Men of Women’s Sports” is a parody of Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius” campaign from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

At the beginning of the spoof, a voice declares, “Team DeSantis presents real men of women’s sports.”

Throughout the video, you see clips of transgender athletes such as swimmer Lia Thomas and others competing in women’s sports.

“Today we recognize the men who hacked the system,” the narrator quips. “Once mediocre in the men’s division, now cream of the crop in the women’s. From mediocre to champion!”

“Because without you, sports would be fair. Without you, women’s sports would be for, well, women,” the video adds.

DeSantis has been an unflagging critic of wokeness and his hilarious hit at Bud Light was right on the mark for the fiery conservative.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.