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What started as a cheeky denim campaign has now become the center of America’s cultural and political divide.
Sydney Sweeney, the Emmy-nominated star of Euphoria and The White Lotus, is once again in the spotlight—this time not for her acting, but for an American Eagle campaign built around the pun, “Sydney Sweeney has great genes".
In a video spot, she muses, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring... My jeans are blue,” cleverly blurring the lines between biology and fashion.
But what caught fire wasn't just the pun. After it emerged that Sweeney registered as a Republican in Florida in June 2024, just weeks after former President Donald Trump’s conviction in New York, the ad took on new meaning for both supporters and critics. Trump himself weighed in, calling the ad “fantastic” — if Sweeney is indeed a Republican.
“If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!," Trump said.
The revelation has ignited a fierce culture war online, with some praising the campaign as refreshingly apolitical and nostalgic, while others accuse it of subtly promoting conservative values under the guise of denim chic.