In a classic Trump-style media moment, the 45th and once again 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump, has thrown his enthusiastic support behind actor Sydney Sweeney following the social media firestorm over her American Eagle ad campaign.
The former ‘Euphoria’ star has recently been at the center of cultural and political discourse after her ‘Genes’ ad was labeled by some critics as tone-deaf or politically charged. Despite it being a pun, the ad struck a nerve with a lot of people.
“She’s A Republican? Oh, Now I Love Her”: Donald Trump Rallies Behind Sydney Sweeney
Never one to miss an opportunity, Donald Trump seized the moment on his social media platform, Truth Social. He called Sweeney’s ad the “HOTTEST” out there. The post read, “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 also used the moment to contrast Sweeney’s success with what he calls the “disaster” of woke corporate marketing.
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This includes him dragging brands like Jaguar and Bud Lite into the fray. “Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER!” he wrote. He went on to cite Bud Lite’s much-publicized controversy over its partnership with a trans influencer as a “lesson not learned.” He went on to blame the move for the company’s massive financial losses.
In the ad, Sweeney states, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring,” before smiling and pointing out that “My jeans are blue.” Another version shows a billboard reading “Sydney Sweeney has great genes”, with “genes” crossed out and replaced with “jeans.” It’s corny, yes. However, it’s also textbook marketing. However, critics, mostly on social media, have seen it differently. They believe that the ad was an ironic nod to right-wing ideology.
To Trump, Sweeney is now a culture warrior. She is the poster girl for not only American Eagle but for conservatism. For Sweeney herself, silence has been golden. She has not addressed the online storm directly, though the brand has come to her defense. “Her jeans. Her story,” American Eagle said in a statement. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.” According to the company, the ad was always about jeans, not genes, not politics, not ideology
Vice President JD Vance Also Defended Sydney Sweeney’s Ad, Calling The Criticism “Unhinged”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance wasn’t far behind in joining the cultural melee. Appearing on the popular conservative Ruthless podcast, Vance took a more sarcastic route. He mocked what he described as the left’s unhinged reaction to what is essentially a standard jeans commercial. “My political advice to the Democrats is to continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” he joked.
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Though no prominent Democrat has actually made such a statement, the online discourse has been filled with people dissecting the ad’s message and Sweeney’s political affiliations. “Democrats have managed to unhinge themselves over a normal all-American beautiful girl doing a normal jeans ad,” Vance continued. “It reveals a lot more about them than it does us.”
