Trump Backs Sweeney as American Eagle’s ‘Great Jeans’ Campaign Ignites Cultural Firestorm

Paul Riverbank, 2/10/2026Sydney Sweeney’s NYSE appearance with American Eagle capped a headline-grabbing campaign—controversial, clever, and commercially potent—that sparked debate on genetics, style, and celebrity influence, while driving impressive engagement and sales for the brand.

The backdrop to this moment goes back to a peculiar advertising campaign American Eagle launched in 2025. Sweeney’s partnership with the brand wasn’t just about modeling jeans; it was about starting a conversation, even if not everybody agreed on its merits. The campaign tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” played with a double entendre that immediately ignited social media. The now-viral ad featured Sweeney musing about inherited traits: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring... My jeans are blue.” It was tongue-in-cheek, bordering on the absurd, and instantly polarizing.

Not everyone was amused. Critics in various corners—some with a casual scroll, others with more strident objections—claimed the campaign veered too close to loaded notions about genetics, and even drew uncomfortable parallels to historical eugenics movements. The blue eyes, the emphasis on “genes,” all combined to make some viewers uneasy. But if Sweeney or American Eagle were rattled, you wouldn’t have known it from the way they kept the campaign in the spotlight.

“I picked out what I wanted to wear today and luckily, it was all my favorites,” Sweeney laughed to a small crowd after the bell rang. She wasn’t alone; Jay Schottenstein, AE’s chairman, seemed equally unbothered, quickly citing the company’s surge in attention: “Our partnership fueled the most memorable campaign in our history,” he said, throwing around eye-popping impression numbers—44 billion and counting.

Those numbers demand context, and not all the praise came quietly. The campaign drew commentary from a few public figures with large followings, perhaps most notably former President Donald Trump, who wasted no time offering support from his Truth Social account. He labeled Sweeney a “registered Republican” and declared the campaign the “HOTTEST” of the year, cheekily suggesting jeans were “flying off the shelves.” That, in itself, only amplified the conversation.

Amid the buzz, Sweeney’s choices in style during her NYSE appearance were, if anything, pointedly on-brand. Reports noted she started the day in the AE Dreamy Drape Super High-Waisted Baggy Wide-Leg Jean—no shortage of adjectives in today’s denim market—and a casual Everyday Denim Shirt. Later, she switched to a custom corset-inspired denim dress. Both seemed designed to underline her hands-on involvement in shaping, or at least representing, a campaign that refuses to vanish from the headlines.

As for American Eagle, the company made it clear it would steer through the controversy. “Her jeans. Her story,” a statement read online amid the backlash. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.” Such remarks may come across as generic to the cynical, but the retail numbers are harder to dismiss. Store traffic spiked. By the third quarter, business was on the up, with a parallel partnership starring NFL luminary Travis Kelce adding to the momentum.

For Sweeney, it appeared the real victory was in the platform: she got to champion individuality and challenge the boundaries of what an apparel brand can dare to do in the social media era. For American Eagle, sales figures justified the dust-up. And in the wider culture, the debate rolled on—whether about marketing, genetics, or just the age-old business of getting people talking about their jeans.

Looking ahead, American Eagle is already recruiting fresh faces—Spanish football sensation Lamine Yamal among them. But as the denim dust settles on another NYSE morning, there’s little doubt the Sweeney campaign has done what all advertisers dream of: make their brand the subject of conversation from trading floors to living rooms, far beyond any sales chart.

Sydney Sweeney strode onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange last week, but you’d have been hard pressed to decide if the cameras were focused more on Wall Street’s famed opening bell or Sweeney’s striking denim ensemble. She was surrounded by a crowd that included American Eagle executives, traders, a few influencers with quick-draw phones, and a handful of somewhat baffled tourists. Dressed head-to-toe in various shades of blue—and not shy about it—the “Euphoria” star all but turned the NYSE into a stage.The backdrop to this moment goes back to a peculiar advertising campaign American Eagle launched in 2025. Sweeney’s partnership with the brand wasn’t just about modeling jeans; it was about starting a conversation, even if not everybody agreed on its merits. The campaign tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” played with a double entendre that immediately ignited social media. The now-viral ad featured Sweeney musing about inherited traits: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring... My jeans are blue.” It was tongue-in-cheek, bordering on the absurd, and instantly polarizing.Not everyone was amused. Critics in various corners—some with a casual scroll, others with more strident objections—claimed the campaign veered too close to loaded notions about genetics, and even drew uncomfortable parallels to historical eugenics movements. The blue eyes, the emphasis on “genes,” all combined to make some viewers uneasy. But if Sweeney or American Eagle were rattled, you wouldn’t have known it from the way they kept the campaign in the spotlight.“I picked out what I wanted to wear today and luckily, it was all my favorites,” Sweeney laughed to a small crowd after the bell rang. She wasn’t alone; Jay Schottenstein, AE’s chairman, seemed equally unbothered, quickly citing the company’s surge in attention: “Our partnership fueled the most memorable campaign in our history,” he said, throwing around eye-popping impression numbers—44 billion and counting.Those numbers demand context, and not all the praise came quietly. The campaign drew commentary from a few public figures with large followings, perhaps most notably former President Donald Trump, who wasted no time offering support from his Truth Social account. He labeled Sweeney a “registered Republican” and declared the campaign the “HOTTEST” of the year, cheekily suggesting jeans were “flying off the shelves.” That, in itself, only amplified the conversation.Amid the buzz, Sweeney’s choices in style during her NYSE appearance were, if anything, pointedly on-brand. Reports noted she started the day in the AE Dreamy Drape Super High-Waisted Baggy Wide-Leg Jean—no shortage of adjectives in today’s denim market—and a casual Everyday Denim Shirt. Later, she switched to a custom corset-inspired denim dress. Both seemed designed to underline her hands-on involvement in shaping, or at least representing, a campaign that refuses to vanish from the headlines.As for American Eagle, the company made it clear it would steer through the controversy. “Her jeans. Her story,” a statement read online amid the backlash. “We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.” Such remarks may come across as generic to the cynical, but the retail numbers are harder to dismiss. Store traffic spiked. By the third quarter, business was on the up, with a parallel partnership starring NFL luminary Travis Kelce adding to the momentum.For Sweeney, it appeared the real victory was in the platform: she got to champion individuality and challenge the boundaries of what an apparel brand can dare to do in the social media era. For American Eagle, sales figures justified the dust-up. And in the wider culture, the debate rolled on—whether about marketing, genetics, or just the age-old business of getting people talking about their jeans.Looking ahead, American Eagle is already recruiting fresh faces—Spanish football sensation Lamine Yamal among them. But as the denim dust settles on another NYSE morning, there’s little doubt the Sweeney campaign has done what all advertisers dream of: make their brand the subject of conversation from trading floors to living rooms, far beyond any sales chart.