Former President Donald Trump sparked confusion and amusement on Sunday evening with a surprising six-word reaction after learning that actress Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican.
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad Sparks Backlash
The campaign, launched in late July, features the Euphoria and White Lotus star modeling American Eagle denimwear.
In one now-deleted post, Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits from hair colour to personality and even eye colour. My genes are blue.”
The ad ends with the narrated slogan: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” accompanied by visuals showing the word genes crossed out and replaced with jeans. The slogan is repeated in several other American Eagle ads.
Critics were quick to point out that the ad's focus on Sweeney’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin — traits historically associated with white supremacist ideology — resonated uncomfortably with eugenics rhetoric.
“The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern-day Nazi propaganda,” one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote. “Like it’s wild how blatant it is.”
Another added: “In today’s climate of rising white nationalism, this advert is a dog whistle to the racists out there, confirming their way of thinking and way of life is correct.”
Some took to TikTok to call out the implicit messaging. “When those traits are consistently uplifted as genetic excellence, we know where this leads,” one user said.
Donald Trump Responds
Amid the controversy, outlets such as the New York Post and Buzzfeed have since published an article revealing that the actress is allegedly a registered member of the Republican Party. The story has since been shared by several other outlets.
Despite the circulating claims, and although public records suggest a Republican voter registration tied to a Florida address, there's no official confirmation that it belongs to actress Sydney Sweeney. While she owns a $13.5 million property in Summerland Key, which matches the state on the registration, none of the available reports definitively link the record to her. Additionally, Sweeney has not publicly confirmed or denied the claim. So while the data aligns in some ways, there's no clear evidence that the voter registration is hers.
Nevertheless, one reporter opted to inform Trump of the report during his visit to Allentown, Pennsylvania, per the Mirror.
Prior to boarding Air Force One, the POTUS was told of Sweeney's reported political leaning, to which Trump replied with the six-word comment of: “I’m glad you told me that."
Trump continued: “Oh, now I love her ad. You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s one I wouldn’t have known but I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”
Following Trump's comments, the president took to Truth Social to once again throw praise at Sweeney - all while taking a shot at Taylor Swift (again) and companies who he says have gone "woke".
Divided Reactions and Celebrity Parodies
Not all responses have been negative. Supporters have argued that the backlash to Sweeney and the ad has been overblown.
“The claim that Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is pro-eugenics because of a ‘good genes/jeans’ pun is genuinely unhinged. It’s a denim campaign, not a manifesto,” one X user posted.
Another wrote: “Not every blonde with blue eyes is a Nazi. Some of you need a history book — and a nap.”
The ad also caught the attention of fellow celebrities. Lizzo mocked the ad with a seemingly AI-generated parody ad on Instagram, posing in double denim and captioning it: “My jeans are black…”
Doja Cat posted a TikTok mimicking Sweeney’s voiceover in an exaggerated Southern accent, further fanning the flames of the meme-ification.
White House and GOP Jump to Sweeney’s Defence
The backlash prompted strong reactions from conservative figures. Vice President JD Vance called the outrage “unhinged” on the Ruthless podcast: “You have, like, a normal all-American beautiful girl doing a normal jeans ad… and they’ve managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing.”
He added: “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi.”
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung was even blunter, saying: “This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They’re tired of this bulls***.”
Financial Windfall for American Eagle
Despite the controversy — or perhaps because of it — American Eagle’s stock surged 10% following the campaign’s launch, adding over $200 million in market value, according to Vanity Fair.
The company has also stood by the ad, posting on Instagram: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
So far, Sweeney has remained entirely silent on the controversy surrounding her campaign and her political affiliation.