Wisconsin Brewery Owner Who Promised ‘Free Beer’ After Trump Death Announces Run for Governor [WATCH]

The owner of a Wisconsin brewery who drew national attention after promising free beer in the event of President Donald Trump’s death announced Sunday that he is launching a campaign for governor of Wisconsin, as reported by Fox News.

Kirk Bangstad, owner of Minocqua Brewing Company, made the announcement in a Substack post after previously coming under investigation by the FBI and Secret Service over controversial social media comments connected to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Radical Wisconsin Democrat Kirk Bangstad owns Minocqua Brewing Company, which lamented Trump surviving the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting and promised free beer if he is killed. pic.twitter.com/bq5AqFhIKQ

— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) May 6, 2026

“I’m running for Governor because I believe Wisconsin needs a battle-hardened fighter to join the rest of America to save our Democracy from Trump’s regime, and that person doesn’t exist in the crowded field of Democrats currently running in Wisconsin’s Gubernatorial primary,” Bangstad wrote.

The announcement came just over a week after Bangstad’s brewery posted comments on Facebook tied to the April shooting at the Washington Hilton, where President Trump and several members of his Cabinet were attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

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The social media post stated: “Well, we almost got #freebeerday. Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle.”

“We’ll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens.”

The post triggered backlash online and reportedly led to investigations involving both the FBI and the Secret Service. According to Bangstad, members of the Wisconsin Democratic Party also distanced themselves from him following the controversy.

Bangstad addressed the fallout in his Substack post, criticizing Wisconsin Democrats and accusing the media of targeting him and his company.

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“The messaging mistake [State Rep. Francesca] Hong made, as well as [gubernatorial candidate Mandela] Barnes and the rest of the Corporate Democrats, spilled progressive blood into the water that created a feeding frenzy against me, my fiancé, and my company,” Bangstad wrote.

“Trump’s propaganda machine and the corporate media that continuously fails America with its cancerous ‘bothside-ism,’ came after me with full force; and that led to me being interrogated and intimidated by the FBI and the Secret Service,” he continued.

Bangstad also said the investigation pushed him to enter the governor’s race.

“After those two agents left my taproom on Thursday night, I told my lawyer Fred that I was going to run for Governor,” Bangstad wrote.

“Since I couldn’t trust the Democratic Party to have my back nor the current slate of gubernatorial candidates—and because I have a social media reach that dwarfs them all—I might as well stand up for myself and the rest of the working class, who I’ve been standing up for with my loud voice for the last 6 years.”

To qualify for Wisconsin’s November gubernatorial election, Bangstad said he must collect 2,000 signatures by June 1.

When reached for comment, Bangstad criticized Fox News Digital and added, “I’d tell you that the world is almost as excited about me running for governor as they are about #freebeerday.”

Bangstad previously ran for Congress in 2015 and later ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2020.

He also founded the Minocqua Brewing Company SuperPAC, which states on its website that it seeks to remove Republican elected officials who it says “perpetuated the election lies that caused the Insurrection of January 6, 2021.”

⚠️ FBI & SS INVESTIGATE BREWERY OWNER OFFERING FREE BEER DAY WHEN TRUMP DIES: Kirk Bangstad owns Minocqua Brewing Company in WI. He’s been offering ‘free beer day’ when an assassin is successful at killing President Trump or he otherwise dies. After a visit from the FBI he… pic.twitter.com/iDSDWSaoQr

— Lynn (@Lynnrx52) May 6, 2026

The brewery has become known for politically themed products tied to liberal activism and Democratic politicians, including beers branded as “Resistance Pilsner” and “Tammy Shandy,” named after Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

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