Several of President Donald Trump‘s supporters called for a Budweiser boycott after the company released its immigration-themed Super Bowl LI commercial.
The “Born the Hard Way” ad, which debuted online on Tuesday, January 31, highlights the struggles Budweiser cofounder Adolphus Busch faced when he emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1857. Once he arrives in America, a stranger shouts, “You’re not wanted here. Go back home!” before he meets his future business partner, Eberhard Anheuser.
Though Budweiser stated that the commercial celebrated the American dream and was not a comment on the current political climate, the ad was released days after Trump, 70, signed an executive order temporarily banning refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran and Iraq.
“Our focus this week is on our Super Bowl ads and our brands,” Anheuser-Busch vice president of marketing Marcel Marcondes told The Washington Post on Saturday, February 4. “We created the Budweiser commercial to highlight the ambition of our founder, Adolphus Busch, and his unrelenting pursuit of the American dream. This is a story about our heritage and the uncompromising commitment that goes into brewing our beer. It’s an idea we’ve been developing along with our creative agency for nearly a year.”
Still, many Trump supporters took to social media to protest the ad, causing the hashtag #BoycottBudweiser to become a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday, February 5.
“Political ads have no place being aired during #Superbowl #Americans want to protect our country! #BoycottBudweiser,” one user wrote. Another added, “No thanks… it’s time to #BoycottBudweiser. We don’t need your beer, your opinions, and your illegal immigrants.”
Super Bowl LI airs on Fox Sunday, February 5, at 6:30 p.m. ET.