Kari Lake Supporters Refuse to Drink Free Bud Light at Rally

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Kari Lake, the Republican who lost Arizona's latest gubernatorial race, wrote that her supporters refused to drink free Bud Light beer at her rally on Wednesday night.

She posted on Twitter that it was because the brand has gone "woke" giving a sponsorship deal to trans activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Kari Lake
Kari Lake, Republican nominee in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election and a supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, greets guests before the start of an event hosted by Trump at Mar-a-Lago on April 4,... Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"I have to share something hilarious with you guys," Lake tweeted on Wednesday. "I'm in Iowa with hundreds of voters tonight for a rally. There was an open bar that RAN OUT of beer...Except for one brand... @budlight. Go woke, go BROKE. Sad!"

Lake has not yet conceded to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who won the November gubernatorial race in Arizona and, in January, was sworn into office. Lake ran her midterms campaign as an anti-trans, anti-abortion candidate. The Trump-backed candidate, a former news television anchor, said that drag queens are dangerous for children and expressed support for voting against expanding LGBTQ+ rights in Arizona.

Bud Light's partnership with Mulvaney was announced on Sunday by the 26-year-old activist and influencer on her Instagram account. She put up a post promoting the beer brand's NCAA's March Madness contest, sparking a right-wing backlash.

Mulvaney has risen to social-media fame in the last 12 months, thanks to her TikTok series chronicling her gender transition under the title of "Days of Girlhood." She has become a common target of American anti-trans conservatives. This intensified after she was among a small group of young advocates invited to meet President Joe Biden at the White House last year.

But, despite the criticism received by right-wingers, Mulvaney has carried on with her online advocacy. She can now count more than 10 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million followers on Instagram. With her fame have come sponsorship deals with several companies, including, now, Bud Light.

The brand sent Mulvaney a beer can with her face on it to celebrate her 365th day of transitioning.

But Bud Light's partnership deal has prompted calls to boycott the brand from right-wing and conservative consumers. They have posted countless social-media videos showing them pouring Bud Light beer down the sink or throwing the brand's products in the bin.

Bud Light's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, hasn't appeared particularly concerned about the backlash. A spokesperson said that it will continue to collaborate with a wide range of influencers to reach diverse groups of customers.

"Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics," the spokesperson said in a statement shared with several news media outlets. "From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public."

Only a few days following the controversy sparked by the Bud Light's deal, Mulvaney secured another sponsorship with Nike. This once again riled up some social-media users.

Newsweek has contacted Lake's team for comment through her official website.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more