Trump says Sydney Sweeney has 'HOTTEST ad out there' amid controversy
President Donald Trump offered praise Monday for Sydney Sweeney amid backlash over a denim ad campaign featuring the actress wearing American Eagle jeans.
"Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there," Trump wrote on his social media platform.
"Go get 'em Sydney," he added.
Later in his message, which was originally deleted and reposted after incorrectly spelling Sweeney's first name as "Sidney," Trump added, "Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be."
Trump's post comes as several news outlets reported over the weekend that Sweeney is registered as a Republican in Monroe County, Florida, where she reportedly purchased a mansion in 2024.
Based on publicly available voting records, ABC News was able to pull the voting registration of a Sydney B Sweeney in Summerland Key, Florida, who registered as a Republican in the state and has the same birthday as the actress.
In a gaggle with news reporters on Sunday, Trump was asked by a reporter about his thoughts on reports that Sweeney is a registered Republican.
"Ohhhhh, now I love her ad. Is that right, is Sydney Sweeney?" Trump said. "You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That's what I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that if Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic."
The "Euphoria" actress, who has not commented publicly on her voter registration, came under fire recently for her "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans" ad campaign for American Eagle.
The ads feature a play on the words "jeans" and "genes."
In one ad, Sweeney says, "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue," as the camera pans up to her face.
In another ad, posted on the company's social media, Sweeney is seen cleaning a photo of herself with the tagline "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes," with "genes" crossed out to instead read "jeans."
Some critics of the ad campaign claim it promotes eugenics, a "scientifically inaccurate theory that humans can be improved through selective breeding of populations," according to the National Human Genome Research Institute.
Other critics say the campaign is hypersexualized and glorifies Sweeney's physique.
Some commenters online have also compared the ads to actress Brooke Shields' controversial 1980 campaign for Calvin Klein. In one of those commercials, the then 15-year-old actress and model pulls on a pair of Calvin Klein jeans while lying on the ground, saying in part, "The secret of life lies hidden in the genetic code. Genes are fundamental in determining the characteristics of an individual and passing on these characteristics to a succeeding generation."
A representative for Sweeney did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Monday.
Reached for comment, American Eagle directed ABC News to its statement Friday on social media, in which it said the ad campaign is about "jeans."
"'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story," the company said in the statement. "We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone."
ABC News' Anastasia E. Williams contributed to this report.
