The NRCC is quietly backing away from attacking Bud Light – its own major donor

The National Republican Congressional Committee quietly deleted a fundraising page Saturday that targeted one of its biggest donors, Bud Light parent company 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 sent out a tweet asking supporters to donate to the NRCC and in exchange give them a drink koozie of their own.

“Thanks to Dylan Mulvaney, we can all finally admit that Bud Light tastes like water,”[ads1]; the NRCC said in a since-deleted chirping which The Daily Beast reviewed and can be seen below. “With our new koozie’s, you can make sure no one mistakes Bud Light for real beer again.”

But shortly after it was posted around 9:30 a.m., the tweet was removed. Later on Saturday afternoon, the corresponding fundraising page was also removed.

“‘This beer is identified as a water’ Koozie Claim your LIMITED-EDITION Koozie!” said the now-deleted WinRed fundraising page, copies of which were obtained by The Daily Beast. (The “water koozie” fundraising page now redirects to a general “Stand with House Republicans” contribution page.) “Woke up companies that made you drink?” the fundraiser continued using Bud Light’s iconic blue font. “Then this limited edition koozie is perfect for you! Just deposit $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 fact that the parent company behind Bud Light is a major donor to the group – and comes after Donald Trump Jr. eventually called for a boycott of the “conservative-leaning” beer. In the 2022 cycle alone, Anheuser-Busch and its employees gave NRCC $464,505.

A GOP operative who spoke to The Daily Beast on condition of anonymity wondered why Republican donors would open their wallets to give to the group. “I guess they pulled back because they realized they were biting the hand that feeds them, and as soon as something gets around it, why would anyone else give them big bucks in the future?” the Republican operative told The Daily Beast on 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 who thought their response was a good idea. Perhaps the ultimate lesson here is to stop letting the marketing geniuses make decisions and run things.”