A Boston-area mayor has decided to deny himself some tasty beer on principle — as part of a protest against a business leader’s recent pro-Trump comment.
The mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, Joseph Curtatone, is boycotting Sam Adams beer since co-founder Jim Koch praised President Donald Trump’s tax cut plan at a dinner in New Jersey last week, Fox News Business reported.
Koch simply noted in his remarks that the Trump tax cuts allow his Boston Beer Company, which brews Sam Adams beers, to compete with foreign breweries.
Koch, who co-founded the Boston Beer Company in 1984, was one of 13 business leaders who met with President Trump on August 7 in New Jersey, Fox News reported.
Other attendees included leaders from FedEx and PepsiCo, Boston’s WCVB reported.
During the dinner, Koch said Trump’s tax reform was “a very big deal” for American brewers, which were not operating on a “level playing field” with foreign-owned breweries.
“I mean, Americans — I’m the largest American-owned brewery at 2 percent market share,” said Koch, according to a White House transcript of the event. “We were paying 38 percent taxes … and competing against people who were paying 20. And now we have a level playing field, and we’re going to kick their a**.”
Related: Trump Celebrates ‘Economic Miracle’ from Tax Cuts
That was enough for Curtatone to tweet that he “will never drink Sam Adam’s beer again!”
I will never drink Sam Adam's beer again! https://t.co/UCywb9I7xE
— Joseph A. Curtatone (@JoeCurtatone) August 12, 2018
The mayor also tweeted, “We need to hold these complicit profiteers of Trump’s white nationalist agenda accountable,” and also asked Koch whether he brought up immigration policy at the dinner.
Hey Jim Koch! While you were thanking Trump for your tax break, did you happen to express any concern for the families separated under his cruel and inhumane immigration enforcement policy? @SamuelAdamsBeer https://t.co/UCywb9I7xE
— Joseph A. Curtatone (@JoeCurtatone) August 12, 2018
“What a shame — with all the good that company has done for the local economy, this mayor is going to come out against him for supporting a tax plan that supports his company?” said one Boston area sales representative, 56, who also frequently purchases Sam Adams beers.
“He may be a mayor, but he certainly doesn’t understand business.”
Sam Adams is noted for supporting small-business owners through the company’s program Brewing the American Dream.
“Together with our partner, Accion, the national nonprofit small-business lender, we make it easy for food and beverage business owners to access loans, free financial advice and discipline specific expertise and coaching in areas like social media, package design, sales and distribution, HR, and dozens of other business disciplines,” the dedicated website for the philanthropic program states.
See Koch tour his brewery in the video below.
What a brave stance mayor! So I assume you will no longer frequent establishments that serve Sam Adams or a liquor store that sells Sam Adams as well? It would be hypocritical otherwise. #whatasquid
— Kirk (@kirkbuggy) August 13, 2018
Meeting with organizations that work with migrants and listening to the tragic and sad stories of families of migrants who have been deported or disappeared as well as survivors and victims of violence. https://t.co/adkycYVCsM
— Joseph A. Curtatone (@JoeCurtatone) August 13, 2018
(photo credit, article image: Samuel Adams – Beers of Summer, CC BY-SA 2.0, by anax44, CestLaVibe.com)
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