DeSantis Calls For Investigation Of Bud Light Over Partnership With Trans Influencer

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has found his next culture wars target: Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent company of Bud Light.

The 2024 GOP presidential hopeful urged the agency that manages Florida’s pension fund to launch an investigation into Bud Light’s parent company, following the conservative backlash against the brand for entering into a small Instagram marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. DeSantis referred to the company’s partnership with Mulvaney as an example of “radical social ideologies” in a letter posted on Twitter to Florida Interim Board of Administration Executive Director Lamar Taylor.

Screenshots from Dylan Mulvaney’s Bud Light promo that triggered a conservative backlash

In the months since the campaign, sales of Bud Light fell roughly 24% year-over-year for the week ended June 3, but the company’s stock is actually up 7.89% over the last 12 months.

Bud Light’s stock is actually up 7.89% over the last 12 months.

“As you well know, AB InBev’s performance has plummeted since its decision to associate its Bud Light brand with radical social ideologies,” DeSantis wrote. “That fateful decision has transformed America’s formerly best-selling beer – and one of InBev’s best-performing assets − into a commercial pariah.”

He then urged the head of the state’s Board of Administration to consider legal action against Bud Light and its parent company.

“It appears to me that AB InBev may have breached legal duties owed to its shareholders, and that a shareholder action may be both appropriate and necessary,” DeSantis added. “To protect SBA and the retirees of Florida from losses attributable to AB InBev’s disregard of those duties, all options are on the table.”

In the months following the controversy, Bud Light has attempted to distance itself from Mulvaney — which is something she has called the company out on.

“Everything we do should be about beer and promoting beer,” Michel Doukeris, Anheuser-Busch’s chief executive, told analysts in May.

A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch wrote in a statement on Friday that “Anheuser-Busch InBev takes our responsibility to our shareholders, employees, distributors and customers seriously.”

“We are focused on driving long-term, sustainable growth for them by optimizing our business and providing consumers products to enjoy for any occasion,” the spokesperson added.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is running against DeSantis for the Republican nomination, took aim at the Florida governor during a Thursday interview with USA TODAY over DeSantis’ “culture wars” legal battle with Disney.

“I always thought that’s what liberals did…that’s what I was taught that liberals thought. ‘If you disagree, I can use the government to punish you and change your mind,'” Christie said. “Now, all of a sudden, that’s what conservatives or people who call themselves conservatives are doing.”