Trump, on eve of fundraiser with Anheuser-Busch lobbyist, defends company

Former President Donald Trump offered an olive branch to Anheuser-Busch on Tuesday, issuing a post on his social media platform calling on conservatives to drop their opposition to the besieged beer company.

“The Bud Light ad was a mistake of epic proportions, and for that a very big price was paid, but Anheuser-Busch is not a Woke company,” Trump wrote. “Anheuser-Busch is a Great American Brand that perhaps deserves a Second Chance? What do you think? Perhaps, instead, we should be going after those companies that are looking to DESTROY AMERICA!”

Trump’s post on Truth Social represents a major attempt at deescalation in a long-simmering feud between the political movement the former president leads and the mega corporation since April 2023, when it came under fire for a sponsored post with a transgender influencer.

Trump’s message also comes as a top Republican lobbyist for the company is set to host a fundraiser for the former president next month, with some tickets going at $10,000 each.

Jeff Miller, a close confidant of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy who built his Washington business during the Trump years, announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday that he would be hosting the fundraiser. The event is set to feature dozens of members of Congress and Republican leadership, as well as Donald Trump Jr.

The younger Trump has also previously defended Anheuser-Busch, saying in an April podcast that the company donated more to Republicans than Democrats and helped McCarthy’s effort to assume control of the House.

“I’m not, though, for destroying an American, an iconic company for something like this,” he said on Rumble. “Frankly, they don’t participate in the same woke garbage that other people in the beer industry