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Rumble CEO exposes Dunkin’ Donuts for pressuring platform away from ‘right-wing culture’

August 8, 2024 | | Print Article

Dunkin’ Donuts is facing a burgeoning boycott from the right for refusing to advertise on the video-sharing platform Rumble.

Rumble, a YouTube competitor that prioritizes free speech, has allowed dissidents on the right and left to voice their views without fear of censorship. For this, it’s often been labeled “right-wing” by Democrats and their adoring media allies.

Unfortunately, Dunkin’ Donuts has fallen for this narrative hook, line, and sinker, according to tweets posted this Wednesday by Rumble founder Chris Pavlovski.

In the tweets, he revealed that Dunkin’ Donuts and its parent company,  Inspire Brands, have refused to advertise on Rumble because of its alleged “right-wing culture” and because of right-wing influencers like Steven Crowder:

“To be honest … I would be opposed to showing up on the current version of the platform — the right-wing culture of the site is too polarizing from a brand suitability standpoint today,” someone from Dunkin’ Donuts wrote to Pavlovski in an email.

As seen in the tweets above, Pavlovski’s response to the email was to tell Dunkin’ Donuts that his video-sharing site doesn’t discriminate and that “[a]ll cultures are welcome on Rumble.”

Everyday conservatives meanwhile have been responding to these findings by calling for Dunkin’ Donuts to get the Bud Light treatment.

Recall that after Bud Light teamed up with a transgender influencer a couple of years back, conservatives launched a boycott that drove sales and the company’s stock right into the toilet.

See some of the public’s responses to these findings below:

All this comes amid news that Rumble has joined a lawsuit by Twitter/X against a group of advertisers who’ve refused to advertise on the platform because it contains some right-wing content.

The group of advertisers is known as the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). GARM is basically a “cross-industry” advertising alliance that’s been accused of targeting dissenting, anti-left-wing voices for censorship.

Last month The Daily Wire boss Ben Shapiro testified to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee about the ways in which GARM has attacked his own site:

“GARM purportedly sets ‘brand safety’ standards – objective standards by which advertisers and platforms can supposedly determine just what sort of content ought to be deemed ‘safe’ for advertising,” he said.

“In reality, GARM acts as a cartel. Its members account for 90 percent of ad spending in the United States–almost $1 trillion. In other words, if you’re not getting ad dollars from GARM members, it’s nearly impossible to run an ad-based business. And if you’re not following their preferred political narratives – the ones Kara Swisher and Dianne Feinstein would follow – you will not be deemed ‘brand safe.’”

Speaking with Fox Business Network this week, Pavolvski said that this behavior is a direct violation of the Sherman Act, a federal antitrust law that reportedly prohibits anti-competitive agreements.

**UPDATE: Shortly after the publication of this article, Pavlovski announced the good news that GARM will be shutting down.

Vivek Saxena
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