Trump Fuels Sydney Sweeney Ad Controversy, Calls It ‘HOTTEST’ While Slamming ‘Woke’ Critics
WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 5, 2025 – President Donald Trump has thrust himself into the center of a heated cultural debate, praising actress Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad as the “HOTTEST out there” in a Truth Social post on August 4, 2025, while lambasting “woke” critics and brands like Jaguar and Bud Light. The endorsement, which Trump tied to Sweeney’s reported registration as a Republican in Florida in June 2024, has reignited controversy over the ad’s perceived racial and eugenic undertones, drawing both support and backlash.
The American Eagle campaign, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” features the Euphoria and White Lotus star in denim, playing on the homophone “jeans” and “genes.” In one ad, Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” as the camera pans to her blue eyes. Critics, including Harvard lecturer Erik Baker, have slammed the ad for echoing eugenics rhetoric, with some TikTok users calling it “Nazi propaganda” for spotlighting Sweeney’s blonde, blue-eyed image. Others, like activist Zellie Imani, labeled it a “love letter to White nationalism,” sparking comparisons to Brooke Shields’ provocative 1980 Calvin Klein campaign.
Trump, informed of Sweeney’s Republican affiliation during a press gaggle in Pennsylvania on August 3, declared, “She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!” He doubled down on Truth Social, writing, “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” He contrasted the campaign with Jaguar’s “woke” rebrand featuring androgynous models, which he called a “DISASTER,” and claimed Taylor Swift, whom he labeled a “Woke singer,” was “booed out of the Super Bowl” and is “NO LONGER HOT” after his criticism.
American Eagle defended the campaign, stating on Instagram, “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. Great jeans look good on everyone.” The company reported a $2-a-share stock price surge amid the controversy, though sales figures remain undisclosed. Supporters, including Vice President JD Vance and Senator Ted Cruz, framed the backlash as “woke hysteria,” with Vance mocking Democrats for allegedly equating Sweeney’s attractiveness to Nazism. White House communications director Steven Cheung called the criticism “cancel culture run amok.”
Sweeney, who has not publicly addressed her voter registration or the controversy, faced similar scrutiny in 2022 over a MAGA hat at her mother’s birthday party, which she dismissed as an “absurd political statement.” PR experts warn that her “calculated brand evolution” risks alienating fans, with some comparing her trajectory to Kanye West’s political entanglements. Others, like crisis strategist Molly McPherson, see the ad as “outrage marketing,” capitalizing on controversy for clicks and sales.
The debate has polarized social media, with X posts reflecting both MAGA enthusiasm and progressive outrage. One user praised Trump’s “mic drop moment,” while another called his endorsement “desperate pandering.” As the controversy simmers, Sweeney’s ad has become a lightning rod for America’s culture wars, blending celebrity, politics, and commerce in a way that’s anything but just about jeans.