Featured Image Credit: LiveNOW from Fox/American Eagle
Topics: Celebrity, Donald Trump, Social Media, Sydney Sweeney, US News, Fashion
Britt Jones
Topics: Celebrity, Donald Trump, Social Media, Sydney Sweeney, US News, Fashion
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans campaign has found an unlikely supporter in the form of US president Donald Trump.
The new American Eagle advertisement campaign hired the 27-year-old actress for its fall 2025 denim catalogue, and it began an uproar online.
According to AE, the campaign aimed to 'further elevate its position as the #1 jeans brand for Gen Z', but the brand and Sweeney have been slated on social media after it seemingly centered around the Euphoria star's whiteness.
The ad saw Sweeney in an entirely denim outfit as she explained the foundations of genes while the tag line read: "Sydney Sweeney has great genes."
Advert
However, 'Genes' is then crossed to be replaced with the word 'jeans'.
Immediately, there was backlash.
People who saw the ad took to social media to share their feelings, claiming it was rooted in white supremacy.
"This is what happens when you have no people of color in a room. Particularly in a time like this," read one comment on Instagram. "This ad campaign got so caught up in this 'clever' play on words and this stunt the people in the room missed what was so blatantly obvious to anyone not White."
A second said: "It’s giving 'Subtle 1930’s Germany'," while a third joked: "Eujeanics."
But not everyone feels that way, particularly the POTUS.
While speaking to reporters on the runway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on August 3, the president was told a tidbit of information about the actress.
Earlier that day, The Guardian revealed that Sweeney has been registered with the Republican Party in Florida since June 2024.
However, she has never publicly voiced her support or opinion on Trump. But when Trump was told of her affiliation, he set his stance on her advertisement.
“Is that right? Is Sydney Sweeney...,” Trump said. “You’d be surprised 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,” the president added.
While the president supports her, many still feel it peddles eugenic ideals through its play on the words ‘jeans’ and ‘genes’.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color,” Sweeney said in the ad.
“My jeans are blue,” she added, while to camera focused on her blue eyes.
Another clip sees her talk about her body’s composition being ‘determined by... genes’.
But the company itself came out to negate any underlying meanings.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
Trump faced similar backlash in 2020 when the Republican spoke to a nearly all-white crowd in Minnesota: "You have good genes, you know that, right?" he said.
"You have good genes. A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it, don’t you believe? The racehorse theory. You think we’re so different? You have good genes in Minnesota.”