Wisconsin Brewer Kirk Bangstad Seeks Governor Signatures After Trump 'Free Beer' Post

Kirk Bangstad, the Wisconsin brewery owner who posted about free beer for President Donald Trump's assassination, needs 2,000 signatures for his Democratic campaign for governor. He warned his party he will win the primary if they block him from speaking.

"I will win the primary if they don't let me speak: I guarantee you that," Bangstad told WISN 12 News this week about addressing the state Democratic convention.

Bangstad owns Minocqua Brewing Company. He started his gubernatorial bid after national attention to a brewery Facebook post following an alleged assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 12.

"Well, we almost got #freebeerday," the post said minutes after the security event. "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 drew U.S. Secret Service and FBI visits days later. Bangstad called it satire, not a call for violence.

"It was satire," he told WISN 12. "I meant it as satire. I've said that all along and it was taken out of context in order to create a feeding frenzy by the media, which it did, and allow Republicans to paint Democrats as politically violent."

Democrats have expressed caution over his rhetoric for weeks. Bangstad said the scrutiny prompted his run and boosted fundraising.

"Remember there was another half of that post that said, 'or Donald Trump is trying to fake an assassination attempt to get a better news cycle," he told WISN 12. "The first part was satire that was trying to set off the second part."

He revived his "free beer day" brewery campaign because the attempt "seemed staged," gaining name recognition from 250,000 Facebook followers and 170,000 Substack subscribers, many progressives in Wisconsin.

"Most of those people are progressives and a lot of those are progressives who live in Wisconsin, so I would think I have the best name recognition in the state of Wisconsin right now," Bangstad said. He called himself a true progressive Democrat with more recognition than others except possibly Mandela Barnes.

If blocked from the June 13-14 Wisconsin Democratic convention at Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, he vowed to speak outside. "And if they try to not let me speak, they're going to put me in office," he said. "If they restrict my speech as a fellow Democrat, they are going to do so much harm to their appearance, and they're going to do so much harm to other candidates, I will win the primary if they don't let me speak. I guarantee you that."

Bangstad must collect signatures by June 1 for the August 11 primary. His campaign has raised significant funds. The brewery sells progressive merchandise and anti-Trump shirts like "I wish it was free beer day."

The controversy followed an April 25 security incident at the WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C. Authorities say Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, tried to breach a Secret Service checkpoint with a loaded shotgun and other weapons. He faces life in prison for attempted assassination and assaulting a federal officer and was ordered held without bail.

The FBI and Secret Service interviewed Bangstad voluntarily. "The U.S. Secret Service follows up on perceived threats against the President of the United States or any one of our protectees," the agencies said in a joint statement. "The FBI and Secret Service together followed up on information received and conducted further investigative steps, which included a voluntary interview with the individual. This is an ongoing matter and we do not have further comment."

Bangstad livestreamed part of the encounter and posted a voicemail transcription from a Secret Service agent, urging calls to the number.

A former Democratic candidate for Wisconsin's 34th Assembly District, Bangstad lost in 2020. He founded a Minocqua Brewing Company super PAC targeting Trump and Republicans and sued to bar Trump from Wisconsin's 2024 ballot.

Trump-backed House candidate Michael Alfonso highlighted Bangstad's ties to Democrats like gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong and Rebecca Cooke, who worked for him.

"This brewery is owned by a man named Kirk Bangstad, and he’s not just some random crazy guy," Alfonso wrote on X. "Kirk is friends with current Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong. He previously employed Rebecca Cooke, the Democrat currently running against Derrick Van Orden, and was himself the Democratic nominee against my father-in-law, Sean Duffy, in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District—where I am now running for office."

Cooke's campaign condemned violence without naming Bangstad. "This rhetoric is dangerous and unacceptable – showcasing just how broken our political system is," she said through her manager. "I denounce all forms of political violence. We need to bring the temperature down, stop pitting working folks against each other, and come together to solve the very serious problems facing our communities."

The National Republican Congressional Committee called her response insufficient. "Rebecca Cooke needs to stop hiding and immediately denounce her former employer, Kirk Bangstad’s dangerous and unhinged comments," spokesman Zach Bannon said. "Cooke's previous employment by Bangstad makes her silence even more unacceptable. Voters deserve to know whether she stands with Wisconsinites who reject this rhetoric or with the same extremist voices pushing it."

Hong condemned violence normalization in X posts but did not name Bangstad. Her manager Becky Cooper called the brewery tweet inflammatory.

RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar said, "Wisconsin Democrats are so sick in the head that an attempted murder is funny to them. All Wisconsin Democrats, including Rebecca Cooke, must immediately condemn this disgusting behavior."

Bangstad faced prior harassment charges in a dispute with a local newspaper publisher.