Trump’s latest remarks are causing a major backlash online
Former President Donald Trump has sparked widespread criticism after making a statement that compared Sydney Sweeney to Taylor Swift in an unexpected way.
Online discussions exploded last week after American Eagle (AE) teamed up with The White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney for its Fall 2025 denim campaign.
The ad has stirred mixed reactions. One scene shows Sweeney pretending to put up a poster of herself wearing denim bottoms, with the phrase 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes'—but 'genes' is crossed out and replaced with 'jeans' underneath, causing confusion and debate.
Since the ad’s release, many online users have argued that the pun could carry racially insensitive undertones. However, American Eagle quickly responded, stating the campaign “is and always was about the jeans.”
Amid the controversy, 79-year-old Trump decided to add his voice to the debate. He posted on Truth Social to share his support for the commercial and Sweeney herself—especially after finding out she’s reportedly a registered Republican. He had previously praised the Euphoria actress while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One.
Trump wrote: "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!"
"On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil. Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad."
In that post, Trump referenced the resignation of Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell. Mardell stepped down just months after approving a 30-second commercial that didn’t even feature a car, which drew heavy backlash.
The former president continued with: "Shouldn't they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST."
"Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can't stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT."
"The tide has seriously turned - Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
His remarks have drawn sharp criticism across social media, especially on Twitter, where many users have expressed frustration and disbelief at his comments.
One Twitter user reacted by saying: "Speaking down so confidently on beautiful women as if he isn't the ugliest man in america is bold of him."
Another added their voice to the conversation with: "I genuinely don't understand how people are okay with any president speaking like this about women, about citizens of their own country. it's beyond politics at this point. it's embarrassing."
Someone else chimed in with support for Swift’s resilience, saying: "I'm a little too old to be a Swifter, but I love this girl's fighting spirit. She bought back all the album rights one by one, and she had to give up her Eras tour earnings to get it."
"Sometimes I wish I had a little more fighting power. She's definitely an inspiration to those over 30."
This leads to the question many are asking—where does Trump's apparent grudge against Swift actually come from?
It appears to date back to the last presidential campaign, when Trump took to Truth Social and posted: "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!"
That comment came shortly after Swift encouraged her fans to vote however they wanted, while also revealing that she herself planned to vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Her public political stance followed a moment where Trump’s campaign team was caught sharing a fake AI-generated image that falsely showed Swift supporting the Republican party.