The press release from Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, addressing the current quagmire the company finds itself in is *chef’s kiss* just what could have been expected. It is a non-apology style of apology.

I don’t think the company is sorry, to be honest. The press release reads like a “Whoops, my bad” kind of statement but there is no real apology. CEO Brendan Whitworth claims the company never intended to divide people. Really? Has he not noticed that the transgender agenda is a hot-button issue?

As the CEO of a company founded in America’s heartland more than 165 years ago, I am responsible for ensuring every consumer feels proud of the beer we brew.

We’re honored to be part of the fabric of this country. Anheuser-Busch employs more than 18,000 people and our independent distributors employ an additional 47,000 valued colleagues. We have thousands of partners, millions of fans and a proud history supporting our communities, military, first responders, sports fans and hard-working Americans everywhere.

We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.

My time serving this country taught me the importance of accountability and the values upon which America was founded: freedom, hard work and respect for one another. As CEO of Anheuser-Busch, I am focused on building and protecting our remarkable history and heritage.

I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands and our partners. I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors and others.

Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.

There is no way that a collaboration with transgender actor and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney was not going to create an uproar, certainly online. It was bad enough that Bud Light thought partnering with Mulvaney would bring them acceptance in the Woke World but then they chose to use a transgender actor who offends cisgender women everywhere. Mulvaney is portraying women as adolescent girls, not grown women. He’s hyper-animated, mugging for the camera, and acts hyperkinetic. He bounces around and gestures wildly. It’s an act. It’s an insult to biological women. He’s laughing all the way to the bank as corporations buy into the con.

The vice president of marketing for Bud Light, Alissa Heinerscheid, said she was tasked with reinventing the brand without the “fratty” roots. She noted the humor of its marketing campaigns was “out of touch.” I’ll take Spuds MacKenzie’s humor any day. It turns out that the ones out of touch are in the Bud Light marketing department, starting with her. Bud Light immediately began to feel the effect of the boycotts called for by everyday American beer consumers. The company lost truckloads of money, the stock took a downward turn, beer distributors lost business as the beer remained on store shelves, and the company scrambled to find a way to dig itself out of the hole.

The company went silent on social media. Corporate officials went into hiding. Events with the much beloved Clydesdale horses were canceled, allegedly due to threats. Top brass claimed they had no idea the Bud Light marketing department was going in this direction. It’s all a mess.

The gang that can’t shoot right doesn’t know that its best solution right now is to come out groveling for forgiveness and hope its Bud Light consumer base returns. Someone is going to have to write a better press release, though, because the one the CEO issued on Friday afternoon isn’t going to do the job. The company has no idea who its customers are or why they buy beer. They aren’t buying Bud Light to make a social statement about how woke they are or inclusive they want to be. It’s beer. They want to come home at the end of the day and relax. There are other ways of making social statements. Did Ms. Heinerscheid think there is a big untapped market of transgender beer drinkers just waiting for a signal that Bud Light is the beer for them? It’s all so stupid.

Get a clue, Anheuser Busch. Man up and apologize. Learn from the experience. Act with some humility and maybe the Bud Light drinkers will come back. Eventually. A statement about service and the honor of the country isn’t the point of contention with consumers. The press release includes no admission of poor decision-making and, as I said, there is no real apology. There is no “I’m sorry” to be found. Are they?