Daily Briefing (Insiders Only): Why Is MAGA Boycotting Ben & Jerry’s?
Supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement are calling for a boycott of Ben & Jerry’s after the ice cream brand reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for equality. Here’s the scoop.
After President Trump signed an executive order last week to end corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, Ben & Jerry’s cemented its stance, declaring in a TikTok video, “We use our power, our privilege, our platform and our relationship with our fans to advocate for progressive social change.”
The video, which has racked up more than 14 million views in five days, features a pair of company spokespeople responding to a tweet demanding that Ben & Jerry’s “stick to ice cream” rather than speak out on political issues.
“We’re never going to stop trying to dismantle white supremacy, end the climate crisis or fight for our democracy,” one spokesperson said, while the other added, “And, no, we’re not going to stop fighting laws that restrict trans rights, ban books and roll back abortion protections.”
On X, user @TexasRepublic71 re-shared the video to his more than 208,000 followers with the caption: “If you’re not boycotting Ben And Jerry’s ice cream, you will be after you watch this video.”
In the days since, multiple TikTok users have posted videos showing locked supermarket freezers stocked with Ben & Jerry’s pints, though reasons for the locks remain unclear.
Ben & Jerry’s has also expanded its ongoing censorship lawsuit against parent company Unilever. The legal feud began last year when the frozen dessert brand accused the conglomerate of silencing its attempts to support Palestinian rights amid the conflict in Gaza. In the amended complaint, Ben & Jerry’s claimed Unilever blocked a social media post about President Trump two days prior to the inauguration.
In the midst of it all, a fake flavor dubbed Eat the Rich (conceived by a TikTok user) quickly gained traction on the platform, swirling speculation that the brand behind such progressively charged ice cream varieties as Pecan Resist and Empower Mint had planned to launch a real version.
By Thursday, some 21 million posts on TikTok were pinned to “Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Eat The Rich,” with users mocking up possible combinations such as “toasted middle class marshmallow swirl,” “truffle oil” and “billionaire tears.”
