American Eagle shares soars 23% after POTUS Trump calls Sydney Sweeney's campaign "hottest ad out there"

American Eagle's shares saw a massive surge after the U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the brand's viral ad campaign with Sydney Sweeney. He heaped praise on the actress amidst the backlash the ad received.

On his Truth Social account, he wrote on Monday, August 4, 2025:

"Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the “HOTTEST” ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are “flying off the shelves.” Go get ‘em Sydney!"

Following this post, the clothing brand's stock price jumped nearly 23% on August 4, as of 3 pm ET. This happened after the company's shares were down during the last week due to the ad's negative reception.

For the unversed, American Eagle launched a campaign with Sweeney on July 23, 2025. Playing on the words "genes" and "jeans," the ad depicted The White Lotus actress dressed in a completely denim outfit. She said:

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”

This led to major backlash online after some people suggested that the ad and its messaging had racial undertones. They felt that the terms "genes" and "blue" highlighted white supremacy and even the "Blue Lives Matter" campaign, per Vox.

Also Read: "Already trying to walk back their campaign" - Internet divided by American Eagle's response to Sydney Sweeney's "jeans" controversy

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White House defends Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle campaign amidst Republican rumors

Sydney Sweeney at the special screening of Americana (image via Getty)

Sydney Sweeney has faced a lot of criticism from fans after her American Eagle campaign. It worsened after some media outlets reported that she has been a registered Republican since June 2024. An X user with the handle @time222smoke first hinted at it on August 1, 2025.

Buzzfeed and multiple other outlets reported that publicly available voter registration data confirmed that Sweeney has been a registered Republican since June 2024 in Florida.

Amidst all the flak, Steven Cheung, Assistant to the President & White House Director of Communications, reacted on X on July 30:

"Cancel culture run amok. This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They're tired of this bulls**t."

Some celebrities, like Doja Cat, have also seemingly taken a dig at Sweeney's campaign with American Eagle.

Also Read: Is Sydney Sweeney a registered Republican? Viral claim explored amid American Eagle campaign backlash

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Sydney Sweeney has faced criticism for alleged political inclinations in the past as well

Lisa's birthday photos shared by Trent (Image via Instagram/@trent_sweeneyy)

In August 2022, Sydney and her brother, Trent Sweeney, celebrated their mother Lisa's 60th birthday. They threw a party and invited numerous guests, and shared the images and videos on their social media accounts.

In the snippets uploaded on Instagram on August 22, 2022, people were seen wearing MAGA-style hats that read, "Make 60 Great Again" and shirts that read, "Blue Lives Matter." As reported by ABC News, this led to a major backlash against the actress, and she even had to clarify, writing on X on August 27, 2022:

"You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions. Much love to everyone and Happy Birthday Mom!"

Notably, Sweeney hasn't publicly spoken about her political inclinations.

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Also Read: “Zendaya and Alexa would never”- Netizens react as Sydney Sweeney was spotted karaokeing with Euphoria co-stars Hunter Schafer and Maude Apatow

Edited by DEEPALI