Earlier this week, Budweiser unveiled a moving — if exaggerated — pro-immigration ad detailing its founder’s journey to America. The ad was months in the making, but landed during a week Donald Trump’s travel ban took center stage, highlighting its very different message. Naturally, that provoked a backlash complete with hashtag: #BoycottBudweiser.
The ad follows Anheuser-Busch co-founder Adolphus Busch as he travels to the United States, faces discrimination on account of his nationality and eventually — in dogged pursuit of the American Dream — lands in St. Louis and begins to brew beer.
While a boycott against a staple inexpensive beer over a commercial may fizzle out sooner than some other protests, that certainly didn’t stop people from having some fun with the reaction on social media.
How'd your families get here?
Trumpsters: "Immigration"
Hear about Budweiser's immigrant-themed ad?
Trumpsters: "Yeah, #BoycottBudweiser!"— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) February 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/WriterDanG/status/828321745673211904
Trumpsters: "Liberals are such bigly snowflakes! By the way, let's #BoycottBudweiser, Starbucks, 'Hamilton,' Pepsi, Oreos, Netflix & facts!"
— Craig Rozniecki (@CraigRozniecki) February 5, 2017
HAHAHAHA!!!
LIKE ANY DEPLORABLE WILL BOYCOTT BEER!!!!
HILLARY COULD BE ON THE CAN AND YOU WILL CHUG IT.
HAHAHAHAHAHA #BoycottBudweiser
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) February 5, 2017
When you get pissed at Budweiser for reminding you we were ALL once immigrants, you really need to stop reading Breitbart. #BoycottBudweiser
— libbynyc (@libbynyc) February 5, 2017
Asking deplorables to #BoycottBudweiser is like telling Trump to boycott Twitter.
— Michael Blackman (@MikeRBlackman) February 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/davelozo/status/828321823028891648
https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/828065451582189568
https://twitter.com/fivefifths/status/828029408309043200
Budweiser denied it was purposely making a political statement with its high-profile ad slot, although Trump has made immigration a central campaign issue for more than a year.
“There’s really no correlation with anything else that’s happening in the country,” Budweiser vice president Ricardo Marques told Adweek. “We believe this is a universal story that is very relevant today because probably more than any other period in history today the world pulls you in different directions, and it’s never been harder to stick to your guns.”