Ron DeSantis wants to sue Bud Light for using Dylan Mulvaney in ad video.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called on his state’s Board of Administration to explore legal action against Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev), under the guise that a stock devaluation resulting from conservative boycotts against the brand is affecting Florida’s pension fund. Former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker urged DeSantis to “go bold” on Wednesday: “Just having a great track record as governor is not enough particularly when you go head-to-head with Donald Trump, but kinda light a fire with primary and caucus voters.”
DeSantis has built the very foundation of his campaign around stoking divisions in the culture war, trying to tap into the social backlash against political correctness. This has meant firing broadsides against The Walt Disney Company and threatening to build a prison right next to Disney World, his state’s biggest employer.
DeSantis said the fund, which owned roughly $50 million of AB InBev stock out of an overall $180 billion, suffered as a direct result of the decision. Shares in the brewer have since dropped 12% while rivals Contellation Brands and Molson Coors rallied 19% and 36%, respectively.
“We’re going to be launching an inquiry about Bud Light and InBev, and it could be something that leads to a derivative lawsuit filed on behalf of the shareholders of the Florida pension fund,” he told Fox News on Thursday. Earlier this year, conservatives had a full meltdown over a 45-second Instagram video touting a partnership between Bud Light and transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Kid Rock purchased cases to shoot in his backyard, country singer Travis Tritt said he’d removed Anheuser-Busch products from his tour’s hospitality rider, conservative influencers accused the beer company of lacing their product with estrogen. The hysteria resulted in widespread boycotts, and Anheuser-Busch’s stock value dropped 20 percent. It is worth knowing that while the company’s stock price is still lagging, the devaluation from the backlash does not even represent a year-to-date low. But it seems like DeSantis didn’t stop to consider that his state’s pension fund was invested in Anheuser-Busch when he publicly promoted the boycott. In April, the governor told right-wing influencer Benny Johnson that he would not be drinking Bud Light again, and called the backlash to the brand “righteous”.
It’s unclear whether legally the argument holds any water, though for the candidate the political attention the lawsuit threat gets may be more valuable.
Support for DeSantis’s campaign has flagged, and the governor turned to CNN this week to defend his candidacy and is currently in the midst of a campaign reboot, according to NBC.
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