When conservative activists and Maga influencers called for a boycott of Bud Light beer over a sponsorship deal with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, one notable GOP figure stayed silent on the matter: Former president Donald Trump.

The twice-impeached ex-president’s silence on the bubbling controversy stood out among GOP presidential contenders, many of whom spoke out against the maker of Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Mr Trump is no stranger to hurling attacks on transgender people as part of his political persona. Yet Mr Trump never spoke out about the boycott of Bud Light.

According to data reviewed by The Independent, it’s possible that Mr Trump’s reluctance to criticise the company that makes the middling American beverage stems from his personal financial interests.

Mr Trump’s most recent financial disclosure shows he holds a significant financial interest in Anheuser-Busch InBev, the company that produces Bud Light.

The disclosure form, which is on file with the Federal Election Commission, shows the twice-impeached former president owns between $1m and $5m in Anheuser-Busch InBev stock under an account listed as “DJT Trust — Investment Account #2”.

The former president is not the only member of his family not to speak out in favour of boycotting the company.

His eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, became one of the first high-profile GOP figures to call for an end to the boycott, citing the “iconic” status of Anheuser-Busch. He is aware that his father owns the stock through a trust because he was made one of the trustees charged with overseeing it during his father’s presidency.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-anheuser-busch-stock-boycott-b2327379.html