Matt Gaetz Slams Anheuser-Busch CEO For 'Tone Deaf' LGBTQ Comment

Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz called out the CEO of Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch over his recent comments defending the brand's support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Gaetz denounced Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth's response during the executive's exclusive CBS Mornings interview on Wednesday as "tone deaf."

Bud Light has been facing mounting right-wing backlash that sparked a boycott over the beer brand's support for the LGBTQ+ community. The outrage began after Bud Light sent a commemorative beer can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in celebration of the one-year anniversary of her transition in early April. Prior to the controversy, Bud Light was the nation's top-selling beer for decades until Modelo outsold the embattled company last month. Bud Light has continued to face a dip in sales in recent months as the boycott continues, with critics arguing the beer brand is alienating its traditional customer base.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the company that owns Bud Light, has continued to defend its decision, further angering conservatives.

Since the Bud Light ordeal ensued, conservatives have also taken aim at other companies, including Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Miller Lite, over their recent LGBTQ+ marketing campaigns.

Newsweek has reached out via email to representatives for Gaetz.

Whitworth's appearance on CBS Mornings elicited heated debate on social media, with Gaetz weighing in on Twitter.

The Florida Republican responded to a tweet by conservative commentator Benny Johnson, which included a video clip of Whitworth discussing Bud Light's decision to send the personalized beer can to Mulvaney, during his CBS interview.

"Bud Light has supported LGBTQ since 1998, so that's 25 years," Whitworth said in the interview.

"As we've said from the beginning, we'll continue to support the communities and organizations that we've supported for decades.

"But as we move forward, you know, we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble and listening to them, making sure that we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners and ultimately make an impact in the communities that we serve."

Gaetz lashed out on Twitter, saying: "This response is terrible. Tone deaf."

Whitworth also said Anheuser-Busch plans to triple its investment in Bud Light this year, adding that the company has talked to thousands of consumers in recent months, noting "their feedback is very clear."

"The feedback is to reinforce what Bud Light has always meant to them, which is good times, goodwill and easy enjoyment," he said.