American Eagle shares skyrocket after Trump calls Sydney Sweeney campaign ‘hottest ad'. The reason will surprise you

American Eagle Outfitters Inc. stock soared after US President Donald Trump heaped praises and voice support for American actor Sydney Sweeney's controversial “great jeans” ad campaign. The stock was up more than 17 percent by midday Monday. At last week’s close, shared were down 36 percent this year, Bloomberg reported.

Trump took the opportunity support Sydney Sweeney, a ‘registered Republican’, to bash ‘woke’ artists such as Taylor Swift.

“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!” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social not long after markets opened.


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American Eagles stock soar

Shortly after Trump’s post, American Eagle’s stock soared, climbing roughly 18% by early afternoon. The rally follows the retailer’s announcement just over a week ago that “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney would front its fall campaign, cheekily tagged: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Trump also bashed brands such as Jaguar and Bud Lite for doing ‘woke’ advertisements. He said that their ‘woke’ advertisements essentially destroyed the brands and led to a loss of billions of dollars.

While speaking to reporters before departing Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Trump was asked about reporting over the weekend that the Euphoria actress is a registered Republican. After learning her political leanings, the president said the 27-year-old’s ad for American Eagle jeans is “fantastic.”

ALSO READ: Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad controversy: How the actress built a $40 million empire from endorsements

“She’s a registered Republican? Now I love her ad,” 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.”

Public records reviewed by The Guardian on Sunday show that Sydney Sweeney registered as a Republican voter in Florida in June 2024.

Reacting to the news, Donald Trump said, “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!”

Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad campaign controversy

The "Euphoria" star has been facing intense backlash for her controversial American Eagle jeans campaign. Earlier this week, American Eagle released their latest campaign with the actress, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Following the launch, there was a mix of reactions on social media.

The actor faced criticism for starring in an American Eagle campaign that played on the words “jeans” and “genes.” In one spot, 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.”

Some critics said the billboard’s play on "genes" versus "jeans" echoed eugenics-era slogans, though supporters argued it was a lighthearted marketing gimmick.

Many celebrities and eminent personalities on the right, meanwhile, have celebrated the ad, cast the backlash as ridiculous, and defended Sweeney.

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Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was accused of being “thirsty” after he shared a revealing picture from Sweeney’s ad last week and wrote that, “Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women.”

Vice President JD Vance also commented on her appearance, describing her as an “all-American beautiful girl.”

“My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi,” Vance said on a podcast on Friday.

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“That appears to be their actual strategy. I mean, it actually reveals something pretty interesting about the Dems though, which is that you have a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad. They’re trying to 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?”

Though Sweeney has not responded to the backlash, but American Eagle did on Friday in a brief statement.

“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” the company said of the campaign.

“Great jeans look good on everyone,” it added.