Anheuser-Busch CEO wants to ditch ‘domestic’ for ‘American’

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New York
CNN
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People don’t buy “domestic” cars or salute the “domestic” flag, so they shouldn’t drink “domestic” beer. At least, that’s what Anheuser-Busch’s CEO thinks.

Brendan Whitworth, the beermaker’s chief executive, says he wants to change the term that describes his US-made beers, which includes Budweiser, Michelob Ultra and Busch Light, to “American.”

In a letter to distributors and partners that was obtained by CNN, Whitworth sounded patriotic more than a linguistic or practical note.

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It’s not clear what effect the statement will have. Some Budweiser labels already say “great American lager” on them, and they note they are “brewed and bottled in the USA.”

Whitworth, a former Marine, is calling for the change amid a populist revival following the reelection of President Donald Trump, who is putting his patriotic stamp on old norms, too, including the renaming of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. Whitworth didn’t reference that in his letter, but he echoed Trump in his exuberance for the word “American,” which is mentioned 25 times in the message.

“It’s about time the whole industry begins to unilaterally use one of the strongest adjectives available to us: American. Leave ‘domestic’ for other less glamorous uses,” Whitworth said.

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Right wing media criticized Anheuser-Busch during its Dylan Mulvaney scandal, and the company’s response angered many on the left. That incident continues to hurt Bud Light sales, which have fallen out of first place in the United States.

But Trump himself has defended the company, posting on Truth Social before a fundraiser with an A-B lobbyist last year that the company “perhaps deserves a second chance.”

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Whitworth has also shifted the company’s marketing efforts rightwards following the controversy, including making Bud Light the official sponsor of the UFC, hiring comedian Shane Gillis for an ad campaign and most recently partnering with Dana White for an upcoming energy drink.

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