Why a pun has everyone picking sides.
President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad, while taking a swipe at Taylor Swift’s fading appeal.
The Euphoria star’s campaign, which plays on the pun “great jeans/genes,” has been accused of promoting racial undertones and eugenics, but Trump called it the “HOTTEST ad out there” after learning Sweeney is a registered Republican.
“Go get ‘em Sydney!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, contrasting her with “woke singer Taylor Swift,” whom he declared “NO LONGER HOT” following her endorsement of Kamala Harris in 2024.
The ad, featuring Sweeney’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed look, sparked backlash, with critics like Doja Cat mocking it and Lizzo quipping, “My jeans are black…”. American Eagle defended the campaign, insisting it was “always about the jeans.”
Sweeney’s Republican ties were revealed via Florida voting records, reigniting scrutiny over her 2023 MAGA-adjacent family party photos, which she called “misinterpreted.”
REPORTER: “Actress Sydney Sweeney — it came out this weekend that she’s a registered Republican.”@POTUS: “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans … I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!” 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/baLwJHBbuD
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 4, 2025
Meanwhile, Trump’s feud with Swift escalated after she was booed at the Super Bowl, a moment he gleefully dubbed “the world healing.”
Amid the firestorm, Sweeney’s star continues to rise: her boxing biopic Christy premieres at TIFF next month, with Oscar buzz already brewing.
