Coca-Cola, once a critic of some of Donald Trump‘s actions, is commemorating his presidential inauguration with the first custom Diet Coke bottle, in continuation of a 20-year tradition.
Margo Martin, Trump’s deputy director of communications, last week posted a photo of Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey and Trump holding the 8-ounce glass bottle that depicted the White House, Trump’s name and the inauguration date.
While it is not the first custom Coke bottle to be given to a president for their inauguration, she lauded it as the first Diet Coke bottle to be a part of the tradition. Trump is a well-known Diet Coke consumer.
A second photo showed a note from Coca-Cola that boasted its 860,000 jobs and $58 billion annual economic activity in the United States.
While the company said the gesture was part of a tradition to celebrate the incoming president with a limited-edition Coke bottle since 2005, critics on social media scoffed at what they claimed to be corporate opportunism.
“They all want something from him, but don’t have the guts to admit it,” one comment read.
“So Coke is no longer Woke?” another read.
Coca-Cola had previously taken a public stance against the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by a pro-Trump mob, calling it an “offense to the ideals of American democracy.”
“We are all stunned by the unlawful and violent events that unfolded in Washington, D.C.,” the company said at the time. “With the election results now certified, we have faith in America’s democratic institutions to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and allow the U.S. to move forward together as one nation.”
Several months later, Coca-Cola along with other corporate giants took a firm stance against a law passed by Georgia Republicans that put new restrictions on absentee voting and deployment of drop boxes. The law was passed in response to Trump’s loss and widespread absentee voting, particularly by Democratic voters, in the 2020 presidential election.
“I want to be crystal clear,” Quincey said in 2021. “The Coca-Cola Company does not support this legislation, as it makes it harder for people to vote, not easier.”
Trump responded by calling on people to boycott Coca-Cola, Delta and “all of the woke companies that are interfering with free and fair elections.”
Despite its rocky relationship with Trump, Coca-Cola chose to focus on continuing the tradition of the commemorative custom bottles.
“These commemorative bottles are a way for us to acknowledge the significance of this moment in our nation’s history every four years, and our growing collection of inauguration bottles helps tell the story of this incredible country,” said Jim McGreevy, vice president of Coca-Cola’s North America public policy and government relations.
A limited number of the custom Diet Coke bottles will be distributed to the White House and inauguration events, Coca-Cola said.
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