Trump Defends Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad After Voter Registration Revelation

Sydney Sweeney’s recent American Eagle campaign has become a cultural flashpoint after former President Donald Trump publicly supported the ad, citing her newly revealed Republican voter registration in Florida. The campaign, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” employs a wordplay on “genes,” highlighting the actress’s physical features—specifically her blonde hair and blue eyes—in a manner that has fueled widespread discussion about race, beauty, and political identity in modern marketing.

Controversy Erupts Over American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” Campaign

The American Eagle advertisement, fronted by Euphoria and Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney, was launched nationwide at the start of August 2025. The campaign’s core slogan—“Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”—immediately drew attention, with its double entendre nodding both to the brand’s denim offerings and to Sweeney’s genetics. The visuals focus on Sweeney’s striking appearance, making overt reference to her “all-American” physical traits.

Public response was swift and polarized. Social critics and advocacy groups accused the advertisement of echoing eugenicist ideas by implicitly tying market value and desirability to inherited physical characteristics, particularly those historically associated with Eurocentric standards of beauty. Calls for American Eagle to reconsider the campaign reached a crescendo on social media, with several viral posts condemning the use of “problematic beauty standards” in mainstream advertising.

Defenders of the campaign, including the brand and key figures in the Republican political sphere, argued that the backlash was emblematic of “cancel culture run amok.” The debate over the ad’s meaning and message soon reached the upper echelons of political and cultural commentary.

Trump’s Endorsement Shifts the Debate

Amid this furor, Donald Trump entered the conversation, expressing his approval of the campaign following news that Sweeney registered as a Republican voter in Florida in June 2024. Trump stated, “I love her ad now,” making explicit reference to Sweeney’s political affiliation as the catalyst for his endorsement. His intervention quickly became a trending topic on social platforms, fueling both support and condemnation.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also weighed in, defending the ad as a pushback against “woke” marketing trends that supposedly marginalize traditional or mainstream American identities. Cheung described the criticism as another example of overreaching cancel culture, positioning the ad as a cultural statement beyond mere commercial promotion.

Historical Context: Celebrity Endorsement, Politics, and the Power of Advertising

The intersection of celebrity marketing and political identity is not new in American culture. Decades ago, celebrity-driven ads played it safe, rarely delving into overt political or cultural statements. However, the evolution of social media and contemporary brand strategies has shifted this landscape significantly. Over the past ten years, fashion and lifestyle brands have increasingly aligned themselves with social causes or political affiliations, responding to surveys and trend analyses that suggest young consumers prefer brands with clear values.

At the same time, the concept of “woke capitalism”—when companies incorporate progressive principles into branding—has polarized opinion. Some consumers demand diversity and inclusivity, while others criticize such moves as superficial or coercive. The Sweeney-American Eagle partnership, and the subsequent political dimension added by her party registration, fits squarely within this ongoing conversation—now complicated by accusations that the campaign promotes an exclusionary notion of American identity.

Comparative Perspectives: Advertising, Beauty, and Identity in the United States and Abroad

The American debate over race, beauty, and marketing reflects broader global trends, but with unique regional flavors. In parts of Europe, there has been a similar reckoning over advertising’s historic reliance on narrow beauty ideals. French regulators, for example, introduced laws requiring warnings on digitally retouched images and greater diversity in ad campaigns. In contrast, markets in East Asia have only in the past decade begun to face substantive public debate on beauty standards, with some advertisers continuing to favor fair skin and European features, albeit under mounting criticism from local advocacy groups.

The U.S. market, shaped by its deep-rooted racial history and a legacy of both progress and backlash, remains especially sensitive to the intersection of marketing, race, and political identity. American Eagle’s campaign taps into these complex currents, sparking heightened scrutiny and deepening divisions yet also driving commercial outcomes.

Economic Impact: American Eagle’s Stock Surges Amidst Debate

Despite—or perhaps because of—the controversy, American Eagle’s stock price has reportedly risen following the launch of the Sydney Sweeney campaign. Industry analysts suggest that the “all publicity is good publicity” principle is at play: the ad’s notoriety has kept American Eagle at the center of cultural discourse, and viral campaigns often translate into immediate sales boosts, especially among curious or sympathetic consumers.

Short-term sales data, while not yet comprehensive, suggest a notable spike in denim sales and brand engagement metrics since the campaign’s rollout. Marketing strategists point out that American Eagle’s willingness to weather controversy, coupled with the celebrity draw of Sweeney, has positioned the retailer uniquely in a crowded market. The campaign has also attracted considerable free media attention, multiplying its reach beyond traditional advertising spend.

Sweeney’s Political Identity Becomes Public Domain

The revelation that Sydney Sweeney registered as a Republican voter in Florida has layered additional complexity onto the debate. Many celebrity endorsements remain carefully apolitical, but public confirmation of Sweeney’s affiliation via voter records has thrust her personal politics into the national narrative. While some fans feel alienated, others applaud her willingness to diverge from the Hollywood norm.

This development stands in contrast to typical celebrity-brand collaborations, where political stances are often left unspoken. The candor around Sweeney’s affiliation—and Trump’s explicit citation of her registration as rationale for his approval—has transformed a standard promotional campaign into a referendum on the boundaries of celebrity, privacy, and political engagement in commercial contexts.

The Broader Cultural Debate: Race, Beauty, and Marketing in the Modern Era

At its core, the Sydney Sweeney-American Eagle episode highlights enduring tensions about who gets to define American beauty, what role advertising should play in either reinforcing or challenging social norms, and how celebrities, willingly or not, act as standard-bearers for cultural trends.

For progressives, the campaign’s focus on Sweeney’s physical traits evokes uncomfortable associations with exclusionary narratives, underscored by a troubling history of eugenics and racial preference in American culture. For some conservatives, the ad and the controversy it sparked represent a return to traditional values and a challenge to perceived overreach in cultural gatekeeping.

Regardless of perspective, public reaction speaks to the power of advertising not only to sell products but also to provoke, polarize, and reflect shifting societal values. In the weeks since the ad’s debut, hashtags both supporting and criticizing Sweeney and American Eagle have trended on multiple platforms, with thousands engaging across ideological lines.

Looking Forward: Commercial Success Amid Cultural Uncertainty

While the future trajectory of American Eagle’s campaign remains uncertain, its commercial success amidst controversy may prompt other brands to reconsider the risks and rewards of embracing hot-button cultural and political issues. Industry observers are watching closely, as the Sweeney controversy may serve as a bellwether for how U.S. consumers react to overtly politicized celebrity endorsements in the coming election cycle.

For now, Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans” campaign stands as a vivid example of America’s ongoing dialogue—sometimes fraught, always consequential—at the crossroads of advertising, celebrity, beauty, and political identity. As the fallout continues, brand strategists, political consultants, and the public at large will be gauging not only sales figures but also the hidden costs and benefits of courting controversy in an era when the boundaries between consumerism and cultural expression grow ever more porous.