Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump attends a Nevada caucus night party at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on February 8, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump wrote a social media post earlier this week urging his supporters to donate Anheuser Busch a “second chance” after UFC president Dana White personally asked him to support the beer company, a source told CNBC.
Anheuser-Busch suffered intense backlash last year over its Bud Light marketing campaign featuring a transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
White, whose UFC is the leading mixed martial arts promotion, reached out directly to Trump to encourage positive comments about Anheuser-Busch, according to the source familiar with the situation.
In his Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump appeared well-informed about detailed aspects of the beer company’s operations.
He pointed out that the company spends $700 million annually “with our BIG farmers,” employs 65,000 Americans and has provided scholarships to families of fallen service members. Trump wrote: “Anheuser-Busch is a great American brand that perhaps deserves a second chance?”
UFC, owned by Investments of the TKO Groupannounced a partnership with Anheuser-Busch in October to make Bud Light the mixed martial arts company’s official beer partner, a deal that was reportedly worth $100 million at the time.
In a press release announcing the deal, White said: “There are many reasons why I chose Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, primarily because I feel we are similar in terms of our core values and The UFC brand is very united.” stands for.”
A UFC spokesman declined to comment on White’s conversation with Trump. An Anheuser-Busch spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
In his social media post on Tuesday, Trump threatened to release a list of companies – excluding Anheuser-Busch – that he considers “woke.”
“I am compiling a list and may publish it for the world to see,” Trump wrote. His supporters, Trump suggested, should “target those companies that are out to DESTROY AMERICA!”
“These comments came after Trump was much more critical of the company in a social media post on Sunday, saying: “The Bud Light ad will go down as the WORST AD in history.”
“In a matter of minutes, a market capitalization worth $30 billion simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Will they ever get her back? Who knows, but what a mess!” Trump wrote.
Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, attended the UFC event in Las Vegas on December 16, where he joined White and musician Kid Rock in the audience.
Trump had already taken part in two other UFC events in 2023 and has also attended other promotion events in previous years.
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2024-02-10 00:43:02
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