Coca-Cola is facing criticism after its CEO James Quincey presented President-elect Donald Trump with a commemorative bottle of Diet Coke ahead of his inauguration.
The practice of creating a commemorative bottle for an inauguration is not new, with a company spokesperson telling Fox Business that the “tradition of creating commemorative Coca-Cola bottles in celebration of U.S. presidential inaugurations” dates back to 2005.
But the occasion likely means more to Trump, given his well-known affinity for Diet Coke.
While Coca-Cola’s gesture may not have been specific to Trump, the move is still garnering waves of backlash—even from Trump’s supporters.
Critics on the left were quick to highlight the company’s statement condemning the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, noting it would factor those events into the political contributions it would make going forward.
In a statement after the insurrection, Coca-Cola wrote, “we were all stunned by the unlawful and violent events that unfolded in our nation’s capital … and we are grateful that Democracy prevailed with the subsequent certification of the election results.”
“I guess ‘long be remembered’ means 4 years and 8 days,” noted one person.
“Profits over justice,” ripped someone else.
“BOYCOTT ALL COKE PRODUCTS … I guess it’s Diet Pepsi for me,” decried another poster.
But it’s not just Trump’s critics who are angered by Coca-Cola’s pre-inaugural move.
“Remember when coke went woke?” asked one commenter.
“Is this the Coke company that told their employees that they are ‘too white’? Same one? Hmm? I haven’t bought a coke product since and never will,” rebuked someone else, referencing leaked content from a 2021 training seminar in which employees were encouraged “to be less white,” meaning to be less “arrogant,” “certain,” and “defensive.”
“The same CocaCola that made a commercial with people singing our national anthem in every language but english. Does anybody play the long term game any more?” blasted another person (the ad in question featured “America the Beautiful” in different languages.)
“Not a fan. We need Trump to remain HEALTHY,” commented another Trump fan, despite the fact that the president-elect seems to have been powered by the beverage for decades with no (apparent) ill effects.
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