Ted Cruz sees a problem with the Target boycott

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said on an episode of his podcast on Friday that he didn’t think the boycott against Target would be as effective as the boycott against Bud Light.

On his Verdict with Ted Cruz podcast, the lawmaker explained what he felt were the difficulties in boycotting the department store chain over its Pride Month clothing collection, which includes children’s items and transgender-friendly swimwear.

Target has since moved the location of some Pride-themed products while removing some items altogether from its Southern stores after employees were allegedly harassed and threatened amid the anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. The move came just days before the start of Pride Month in June and weeks after Bud Light was hit with controversy for its partnership with influencer and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

While the Bud Light boycott has been going on for nearly two months, Cruz said he doubts a boycott against Target would be as effective.

“What really bit Bud Light was that it wasn’t a tough boycott,” Cruz said. “It’s hard for anyone on planet Earth if you were to order a Bud Light to say, ‘I’ll take a Coors Light. It’s a very simple substitution.”

“Target? We’ll see how long and easy a substitution is. There’s Walmart. You know, there are alternatives,” he continued. “I will say that the targets are located in many areas and very convenient for many buyers, so we will see if that becomes a lingering consequence or not.”

Cruz went on to say that “conservatives generally haven’t been very good at boycotts.”

He explained that the reason past boycotts against the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) didn’t last is because people “really love going to sporting events and cheering on their teams.” .

Another example cited by the GOP lawmaker was right-wing calls to drop Disney, which came under fire after the company’s CEO, Bob Chapek, commented on opposition to the so-called “Don’t Bill” bill. ‘t Say Gay” by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The controversial legislation bars Florida public school teachers from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity.

“You can be bored at Disney, but if your kids really want to go to Disney World, it can be hard to say no. There aren’t many alternatives. There are Six Flags, but Disney World is an offer pretty unique,” ​​he said. “And by the way, Disney movies. I mean, look, there’s only one snow White Or CinderellaOr toy story from Pixar. It’s a hard product for a lot of people to give up permanently.”

Brayden King, professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said Newsweek Another aspect that has made the Bud Light boycott effective Friday is that people tend to drink beer in social situations with friends who share similar political beliefs.

“This aspect of social drinking actually creates an accountability mechanism. You’re more likely to hold the people around you accountable for drinking the right beer, so to speak,” he said. “Target, as Ted Cruz said, is not just a product that you buy. It’s a place where you shop and buy many different products. Many consumers simply have no other options. than Target.”

King added that a likely outcome of recent Tory boycotts is that big business will become “much more cautious than they have been in the recent past.”

“It has made companies much more risky politically than they ever have been,” he said. “If they come out and take a stand on an issue, they may gain support from some consumers and some employees, but they will also get a quick reaction from another group of consumers and employees.”

Newsweek contacted Cruz representatives via email for comment.