Republican presidential candidate 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
Former President Donald Trump wrote a social media post earlier in the week asking his supporters to give Anheuser-Busch a “second chance” after UFC president Dana White personally asked him to back the beer company, a source told CNBC.
Anheuser-Busch last year suffered a major backlash over its Bud Light marketing promotion with a transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney.
White, whose UFC is the leading mixed martial arts promotion, reached out directly to Trump to encourage positive commentary about Anheuser-Busch, according to the source, who was familiar with the situation.
In his Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump appeared to be well-informed about detailed aspects of the beer company’s operations.
He noted that the company spends $700 million a year “with our GREAT Farmers,” employs 65,000 Americans and has provided scholarships to families of fallen members of the military. Trump wrote, “Anheuser-Busch is a GREAT American brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance?”
UFC, which is owned by TKO Group Holdings, in October announced a partnership with Anheuser-Busch to make Bud Light the official beer partner of the mixed martial arts company, in a deal that was reported at the time to be worth $100 million.
In a press release announcing the deal, White said, “There are many reasons why I chose to go with Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light, most importantly because I feel we are very aligned when it comes 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 respond 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 considers to be “woke.”
“Am…
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