This week, Eric Trump toured Yuengling, America’s oldest brewery that also makes Pennsylvania’s quintessential beer, to really cement his dad’s Joe Six-Pack appeal in the swing state. The 45-minute visit was led by none other than Dick Yuengling, the company’s billionaire owner who doesn’t care much for Obama, unions, or paying taxes:
The 73-year-old beer baron told Trump’s son, on the record and in front of reporters, “Our guys are behind your father. We need him in there.” Apparently, he forgot about the toxic effect Trump’s name has on brands of basically any kind these days:
And the fallout is actually worse than possibly empty social-media threats: Brian Sims, Pennsylvania’s first openly gay legislator, announced in a Facebook post that he was abandoning Yuengling after 17 loyal years, then tagged a bunch of Philadelphia gay bars and asked them to take the beer off their taps, too. Several agreed immediately, like JR’s Bar, whose manager put up a video of the tap handle being unceremoniously removed:
Sims is pleased enough with the response so far that he’s now vowing to expand the boycott to businesses outside the LGBT community. Suffice it to say it’s not been a great year for Trump among Pennsylvania’s iconic food and drink institutions.
