Republican presidential entrant and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Nevada caucus night party at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. February 8, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
Late President Donald Trump wrote a social media post earlier in the week asking his supporters to give Anheuser-Busch a “number two chance” after UFC president Dana White personally asked him to back the beer company, a source told CNBC.
Anheuser-Busch end year suffered a major backlash over its Bud Light marketing promotion with a transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
Bloodless, whose UFC is the leading mixed martial arts promotion, reached out directly to Trump to encourage positive commentary there Anheuser-Busch, according to the source, who was familiar with the situation.
In his Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump appeared to be hip about detailed aspects of the beer company’s operations.
He noted that the company spends $700 million a year “with our Adept Farmers,” employs 65,000 Americans and has provided scholarships to families of fallen members of the military. Trump wrote, “Anheuser-Busch is a Passionate American brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance?”
UFC, which is owned by TKO Group Holdings, in October averred a partnership with Anheuser-Busch to make Bud Light the official beer partner of the mixed martial arts company, in a reckon with that was reported at the time to be worth $100 million.
In a press release announcing the deal, White said, “There are uncountable reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it be involved a arises to our core values and what the UFC brand stands for.”
A spokesman for UFC declined to comment on White’s conversation with Trump. A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch did not feel for to a request for comment.
In his social media post on Tuesday, Trump threatened to release a list of companies – other than Anheuser-Busch – that he observes to be “woke.”
“Am building a list, and might just release it for the World to see,” Trump wrote. His followers, Trump suggested, should be “current after those companies that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!”
“Those comments came after Trump in a venereal media post on Sunday was much more critical of the company, saying: “the Bud Light ad will go down as the WORST AD in the past.”
“In a matter of minutes 30 billion dollars worth of market cap simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Purposefulness they ever get it back? Who knows, but what a mess!” Trump wrote.
Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, heeded UFC’s Dec. 16 event in Las Vegas, where he walked out into the audience with White and the musical artist Kid Rock.
Trump had attended two other UFC experiences previously in 2023, and had been at other of the promotion’s events in prior years.