Topline
American Eagle stock skyrocketed Monday after President Donald Trump praised actress Sydney Sweeney for having the “HOTTEST ad out there” amid a firestorm of controversy over an advertisement critics have accused of promoting eugenics, which some conservatives have instead hailed as a rebuke of “wokeness.”
President Donald Trump praised actress Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ad in a post on Monday. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
American Eagle’s stock price was up nearly 23% as of 3 p.m. EDT on Monday, a steep increase that started hours earlier, after Trump made a post on Truth Social praising a divisive commercial starring Sweeney the company debuted last week.
Earlier Monday, Trump praised Sweeney’s controversial marketing stint: “It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!”
Trump hailed Sweeney’s apparent voter registration after multiple reports over the weekend indicated she is registered as a Republican voter in Florida.
Trump compared Sweeney unfavorably to “Woke singer Taylor Swift,” whom he previously said he “hates” after the singer endorsed his election opponent Vice President Kamala Harris in October, calling her “NO LONGER HOT.”
In his post Monday, Trump cited the recent resignation of Jaguar CEO Adrian Mardell, who stepped down months after the British luxury vehicle company drew “woke” allegations for a colorful and diverse rebrand, though the company said his resignation was unrelated to the controversy and had been planned.
Trump said Jaguar should have learned from Bud Light, referencing the conservative-led boycotts against the beer company after it sent transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a customized beer can with her face on it in 2023.
“The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.
Why Did Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad Spark Controversy?
In a marketing video for American Eagle, Sweeney dons a pair of the brand’s jeans and a denim jacket and makes a pun 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. My jeans are blue,” Sweeney says, as the camera pans up to her face and reveals her blue eyes. The ad triggered backlash from critics on social media who felt the ad comes close to promoting eugenics, implying Sweeney’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed genes are more desirable than other traits. Shalini Shankar, a Northwestern University anthropology professor who studies youth and advertising, told CNN she believes American Eagle was “aligning themselves with a white nationalist, MAGA-friendly identity,” stating the company is “trying to rebrand themselves for the present moment, and language is very deliberately used here.”
How Have Sweeney And American Eagle Responded To The Controversy?
Sweeney has not yet publicly addressed the controversy over her American Eagle ad. The company posted a statement over the weekend defending its marketing campaign: “‘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.”
Who Else Has Backed Sweeney Amid The American Eagle Controversy?
A handful of high-profile Republicans have championed Sweeney’s ad as a rebuke to “woke” culture, including Vice President JD Vance, who backed the actress in an appearance on the conservative “Ruthless” podcast over the weekend. “My political advice to the Democrats is, continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” Vance said. In a post on X last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote: “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I’m sure that will poll well….” White House communications director Steven Cheung slammed the backlash in a post on X last week, calling it “cancel culture run amok” and “warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking.”
Tangent
Sweeney, who is best known for her roles in the HBO series “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” attended a screening of her upcoming film “Americana” on Sunday night in Los Angeles. TMZ published footage of a heckler calling Sweeney’s ad “racist” as she arrived at the event.
Further Reading
What has America learned from the Sydney Sweeney situation? We asked the experts (CNN)
