Don Jr. backs Bud Light amid Dylan Mulvaney fallout

Donald Trump Jr. is defending Anheuser-Busch amid calls to boycott the company over Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

The former president’s son said while he thought the partnership was misguided, it wasn’t worth tanking the “iconic” American beer giant.

“Anheuser-Busch totally sh-t the bed with this Dylan Mulvaney thing. I’m not, though, for destroying an American, an iconic company for something like this,” Mr. Trump said on his “Triggered” podcast on Thursday.

“When I actually look into it, I’m not gonna blame the whole company for the inaction or the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign that got woke as hell,” he said.

Bud Light has faced overwhelming backlash over the Mulvaney partnership from drinkers who decried the move as an out-of-touch political calculation by the longtime everyman brand.

Rock-and-roll icon Kid Rock opened fire on a case of Bud Light in a video posted online and country music star Travis Tritt dropped the suds from his tour riders.

But Mr. Trump said, to Anhueser-Busch’s credit, the company has a track record of avoiding lightning rod topics often taken up by its competitors. He added that the company has been a strong donor to conservatives.

“Frankly, they don’t participate in the same woke garbage that other people in the beer industry actually do, who are significantly worse offenders when I looked into it,” he said. “But if they do this again, then it’s on them! Then, screw them.”

Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement on Friday essentially repudiating the partnership without specifically mentioning the influencer by name.

“I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew,” Mr. Whitworth wrote. “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”