Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, is trolling brewing giant Anheuser-Busch for partnering with a transgender TikTok star by selling a line of “real women” individual beer coolers featuring the faces of Republican women governors.
The fabric sleeve coolers — known as “koozies” — are being sold on Sanders’s campaign site.
The koozies feature pictures of Sanders, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, and cost $15 for a set of two.
Sanders, who previously served as the White House press secretary under former President Donald Trump, plugged the merchandise by posting an advert to Twitter.
The ad is full of transphobic dog whistles and frequently alludes to a recent controversy in which some right-wing personalities called for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, for a social media campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The partnership with Mulvaney — who has become a lightning rod for conservative criticism — led to reported boycotts of Anheuser-Busch products, bomb threats against Budweiser factories, and a financial backlash against the company, resulting in the loss of billions in market value.
One social media influencer even tried to capitalize on the controversy by marketing his own “woke-free” beer to conservatives.
Anheuser-Busch has since tried to rebound by releasing new Budweiser ads designed to cater to conservative audiences. The company has also reportedly placed two marketing executives on involuntary leave as punishment for the Mulvaney campaign.
But the backlash has appeared to continue, with right-wing media outlets obsessively revisiting and rehashing the story in an attempt to prolong the boycott and stoke further outrage at Bud Light for promoting transgender visibility.
Never one to miss an opportunity to capitalize on a news cycle, Sanders, elected governor just last year, has jumped full-on into the fray, tweeting out a cheesy commercial designed to troll the political Left and Anheuser-Busch while promoting her own brand of ideological conservatism.
Sanders shared the ad on Twitter, with the caption, “Real women don’t have to fake it.”
Real women don’t have to fake it.
WATCH⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fAOClq5c1S
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) April 24, 2023
The ad promotes the Republican-branded koozies, with a male narrator intoning, “America Presents: Real Women of Politics.” Meanwhile, scenes of people saluting (in the wrong manner, even in the case of an actress dressed in military fatigues), cheering while watching a game on television, fishing, or toasting with beer bottles flash on the screen.
In the background, a female vocalist belts out lyrics like “Real women work too hard for this’ and “Real people know the difference” — an indirect reference to the Mulvaney controversy and conservatives’ opposition to affirming transgender people’s identities.
“Today, we salute all the real woman leaders of this great country. Real women, doing real things,” the narrator says. “Some big companies can’t tell the difference between real and fake anymore. That’s why we’re introducing the ‘Real Women of Politics’ koozie.
“Now you can salute the real women of politics at every backyard barbecue and tailgate. And if it covers up the label of a big woke company, well, that works too,” the narrator concludes. “Order your ‘Real Women of Politics’ koozie today.”
The ad was widely panned on Twitter, with many commenters believing it to be a parody of some type.
“It is not — and I mean not — an SNL sketch, even though every fibre of your being will scream at you that it is,” tweeted one Twitter user.
If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s worth a watch. It is 100% real. It is NOT – and I mean NOT – an SNL sketch, even though every fiber of your being will scream at you that it is. https://t.co/I7JnZf1MK5
— The Wry Observer (@TockTick5167AD) April 24, 2023
“It’s like a GOP-horror-comedy directed by Marge, produced by Kari Lake, written by Boebert (if she knew how to write) and enjoyed by Mike Lindell in his dark basement,” tweeted another.
It's like a GOP-horror-comedy directed by Marge, produced by Kari Lake, written by Boebert (if she knew how to write) and enjoyed by Mike Lindell in his dark basement.
— 💙🌊 Zero Dark Twenty-Nine 🌊🌊🖋️🧫 (@herotimeszero) April 24, 2023
Meanwhile, conservative media outlet Twitchy praised Sanders for knowing how to perfectly “trigger” the Left, mocking the bewildered replies to the beer ad.
“It’s an ad for a koozie … and they lost their minds over it,” wrote Sam Janney. “Makes us miss the days when she was Trump’s press secretary. So many tears, so little time.”
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