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Actress Sydney Sweeney is speaking out about the viral American Eagle jeans ad that sparked strong reactions across the political spectrum – even drawing comments from both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The campaign, marketed with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” was criticized by some Democrats as promoting Whiteness and eugenics by comparing her “jeans” and “genes.”
In a new interview with GQ to promote her latest film “Christy,” Sweeney addressed becoming a cultural flashpoint and how it felt to have both Trump and Vance defend her publicly.
“The president and the vice president spoke about the jeans ad. What was that like?” the interviewer asked.
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“It was surreal,” Sweeney replied.
Trump expressed his support for the ad both on Truth Social and in follow-up comments to reporters.
“She’s a registered Republican?” said Trump, not long after the New York Post reported that Sweeney voted with Republicans in 2024.
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“Oh, now I love her ad,” the president added.
Vance also weighed in on the controversy earlier this year on an episode of the “Ruthless” podcast.
“My political advice to the Democrats is: continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” Vance joked.
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“You have, like, a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad, right? They’re trying to sell, you know, 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, best known for roles on both HBO’s “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” faced backlash for the campaign over the summer.
The actress said she tried to stay out of the controversy but told GQ she pushed back on claims that the ads hurt American Eagle’s performance.
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“I was aware of the numbers as it was going,” she said.
“So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true. It was all made up.”
Despite the political firestorm, Sweeney told GQ she’s focused on moving forward rather than on public speculation about her beliefs.
“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next,” she said.
“And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”
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