President Donald Trump has joined a growing number of MAGA supporters applauding actress Sydney Sweeney for her provocative new jeans advertisement. Speaking to reporters before leaving Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Trump reacted to recent reports that the Euphoria star is a registered Republican.
After learning of her political affiliation, the president offered high praise for her American Eagle campaign. “She’s a registered Republican? Now I love her ad,” Trump said. “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known, but I’m glad you told me that.”
According to public records reviewed by The Guardian on Sunday, Sweeney registered as a Republican voter in Florida in June 2024. “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!” Trump added.
Sweeney’s latest American Eagle commercial has stirred widespread attention—and controversy—by playing on the double meaning of the words “jeans” and “genes.” In one version of the ad, Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
Critics have accused the ad of promoting eugenics and racial superiority, pointing to Sweeney’s blonde hair and blue eyes as problematic imagery. The backlash has been particularly sharp among left-leaning commentators.
Meanwhile, conservative figures have embraced the campaign and dismissed the criticism as political overreach. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas faced accusations of being “thirsty” earlier this week after sharing a revealing image from Sweeney’s ad on social media, accompanied by the comment: “Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women.”
Vice President JD Vance also praised Sweeney, calling her an “all-American beautiful girl.” “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” Vance said during a podcast on Friday.
“That appears to be their actual strategy. I mean, it actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems, though, which is that you have a normal, all-American, beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad. They’re trying to sell jeans to kids in America, and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it’s like, you guys, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?”
Sweeney has not addressed the controversy publicly. However, American Eagle issued a brief statement on Friday defending the campaign. “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the company said. “Great jeans look good on everyone,” the statement added.