The National Republican Congressional Committee quietly deleted a fundraising page Saturday that took aim at one of its largest donors, the parent company of Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch.
The NRCC’s backpedaling follows conservative calls for a boycott of the beer company after it partnered with transgender TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney.
On Saturday morning, the powerful committee that provides support to Republican congressional campaigns blasted out a tweet calling for supporters to donate to the NRCC and, in exchange, be given a custom drink koozie.
“Thanks to Dylan Mulvaney, we can all finally admit that Bud Light tastes like water,” the NRCC said in a since-deleted tweet that The Daily Beast reviewed and can be seen below. “With our new koozie’s, you can make sure no one confuses Bud Light with real beer ever again.”
But shortly after it was posted around 9:30 a.m., the tweet was taken down. Later on Saturday afternoon, the corresponding fundraising page was also nixed.
“‘This Beer Identifies as a Water’ Koozie Claim your LIMITED-EDITION Koozie!” the now-deleted WinRed fundraising page said, copies of which were obtained by The Daily Beast. (The “water koozie” fundraiser page now redirects to a general “Stand with House Republicans” contribution page.) “Woke companies making you feel like drinking?” the fundraiser continued, using Bud Light’s iconic blue writing. “Then this limited-edition koozie is perfect for you! Just chip in $10 to CLAIM YOUR LIMITED-EDITION KOOZIE!”
NRCC/Screenshot via The Daily Beast
An NRCC spokesperson did not return The Daily Beast’s request for comment, nor did a media relations representative at Anheuser-Busch.
The decision to reverse course is almost certainly a reaction to the reality that the parent company behind Bud Light is a major donor to the group—and comes after Donald Trump Jr. urged an end to a boycott of the “conservative-leaning” beer. In the 2022 cycle alone, Anheuser-Busch and its employees gave the NRCC $464,505.
One GOP operative who spoke to The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity wondered why Republican donors would open their wallets back up to give to the group. “I assume they backtracked because they realized they were biting the hand that feeds them, and as soon as word gets around about that, why would anyone else give them big money in the future?” the Republican operative told The Daily Beast Saturday afternoon.
“Bud Light has some idiots in their marketing department who thought this was a good idea,” the strategist continued. “The NRCC has some idiots in their marketing department that thought their response was a good idea. Maybe the ultimate lesson here is to stop letting the marketing geniuses make decisions and run things.”
