Yuengling appeared to take a shot at rival beer company Bud Light on Friday, shortly after the brand under fire released a long statement about controversy sparked by a partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney earlier this month.
Yuengling, the oldest brewery in America. Independently owned and family operated since 1829 because we make good beer,” the Yuengling Brewery account tweeted vividly with an image of the American flag and a traditional Yuengling beer can.
The tweet was posted that Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, faced backlash from conservatives over its work with Mulvaney, a 26-year-old transgender woman with 10 million followers on TikTok.
Shortly before Yuengling’s tweet, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement saying in part, “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We work to bring people together for a beer.”
He also said as the company’s leader, his focus is on “building and protecting our wonderful history and heritage” as he vowed to continue bringing “great beer” across the country.
Conservative figures and celebrities such as country stars Kid Rock and Travis Treat have pushed for a boycott of Anheuser-Busch over the company’s collaboration with Mulvaney.
Others like talk show hosts Howard Stern and Joe Rogan have defended Bud Light’s relationship with Mulvaney, asking why people care so deeply about the partnership.
Mulvaney said recently on the “Forward with Rosie O’Donnell” podcast that the anger towards her is because she is “an easy target.”
“The reason I think I am… I’m an easy target is because I’m so new to this,” Mulvaney said. “I think going after a trans woman who has been doing this for 20 years is much more difficult. I think maybe they think there is some kind of opportunity with me…but what is their goal?”
“These people, they don’t understand me and anything I do or say then they are somehow taken out of context and used against me, which is sad because everything I try to get out is positive. It’s trying to connect with others who maybe don’t understand me. It’s to make people laugh or to make a child It feels visible.”