You won’t believe what he said—and why it’s about more than jeans…

Trump just turned a jeans ad into a battlefield

A supposedly lighthearted American Eagle jeans campaign starring Euphoria breakout Sydney Sweeney has now been weaponized in former U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing culture‑war spectacle — placing Sweeney and Taylor Swift as opposing avatars in his latest message: Republicans are “hot”; “woke” Democrats are losers .

What began with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” (a pun playing on “genes”) was soon accused of echoing eugenics‑style messaging—it didn’t help that Sweeney is registered Republican in Florida since June 2024, a fact Trump learned just days ago .

Truth Social meltdown: Swift is “no longer hot,” Sweeney ad is “the hottest”

On August 4, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that Sweeney’s ad is the “HOTTEST ad out there”, proclaiming the jeans are “flying off the shelves.” He followed with a jab at Swift: “Woke singer Taylor Swift… she became, NO LONGER HOT,” adding that being woke is for losers—and being Republican is what people want to be .

This represents another chapter in his long-running feud with Swift—who endorsed Kamala Harris in September 2024 and subsequently drew Trump’s wrath for months .

Why THIS matters: It’s not just about jeans or celebrities

Celebrity culture war: Trump is clearly using Swift and Sweeney as symbols—Swift representing progressive “woke” culture, Sweeney representing a polished Republican ideal. It’s less about their work than what they signify .
Corporate consequences: Following Trump’s post, American Eagle’s stock briefly rose 15%, illustrating how fast a viral endorsement (or insult) can hit corporate value—even amid broader macroeconomic woes .
Fan backlash risk: Sweeney, still early in her Hollywood arc, may face branding damage ahead. PR experts warn that entering partisan cultural fights can be career‑derailing if fans see her as the “MAGA darling” rather than an artist .

Sydney Sweeney’s campaign controversy explodes

The ad was widely slammed for featuring lines like “genes are passed down… my jeans are blue… Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Many saw this as innuendo for genetic elitism or aesthetics tied to race (blonde hair, blue eyes)—evoking echoes of ruinous eugenics debates .

American Eagle defended the commercial as a celebration of denim and confidence—still, critics accused it of dog-whistle messaging too subtle to ignore.

Then, the revelation she’s a Florida-registered Republican intensified the backlash. At a screening of her film Americana, a heckler shouted the ad was racist; Sweeney stayed silent and slipped away quietly .

Swift still reigns supreme—despite Trump’s claims

Trump claims he “destroyed” Swift’s popularity—but nothing could be further from reality. Swift remains one of the highest‑earning, most streamed, most revered artists on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion and a fandom with measurable electoral influence .

Her political endorsements have sparked millions of new voter registrations. Her fanbase, the “Swifties,” function like a voting bloc—something even Trump’s MAGA base can’t replicate easily .

But the cheap rhetorical trick persists: paint Swift as “woke loser”—and align Sweeney as the shiny new face of boomer‑approved culture.

Reaction firestorm: Social media, PR chaos, and hot takes

On Reddit r/politics, users skewered Trump’s misogynistic tone—calling out the discomfort of a 79-year-old man debating “hotness” and equating Sweeney’s popularity with explicit grooming appeal . One comment lamented:

“This whole ‘hottest’ rhetoric is the most regressive attempt… since ‘fetch’” .

Media commentary has framed the moment as Trump inserting himself into every trending celebrity story—even if tenuously. New York Magazine’s Intelligencer called out the “creepy Emperor’s new clothes” vibe around him pretending to dictate who is culturally relevant .
American Eagle’s retail response? They initially backed the ad as empowering; later removed it from social media—likely bowing to mounting criticism .

Still curious? Here’s what else to know

Taylor Swift remains influential: her endorsement in 2024 drove nearly 406,000 visits to Vote.org from Instagram alone, illustrating her reach beyond music into meaningful political mobilization .
Sydney Sweeney has yet to publicly address the ad—or Trump’s praise. Public silence often fuels speculation.
Trump has built a pattern: praising select celebrities who align quietly or publicly with conservative values, while savaging those who don’t. This episode fits comfortably into that playbook.

Final thought:

What should have been a simple fashion spot turned into a full‑blown ideological clash—with Taylor Swift and Sydney Sweeney unwilling actors in Trump’s spectacle. Swift remains culturally bulletproof; Sweeney teeters in untested waters. And American Eagle? They’re stuck in the crossfire of clicks vs. optics.

If you thought jeans ads were innocuous, guess again: in 2025, everything’s political—especially blue denim.