A top White House official waded into the Sydney Sweeney-American Eagle advertisement controversy late Tuesday, calling left-wing backlash and claims of a ‘shift toward whiteness’ more ‘cancel culture run amok.’
Steven Cheung, President Donald Trump’s communications director, reposted an MSNBC headline claiming Sweeney’s ad promoted racial superiority in the form of genetic ‘whiteness’ – and wrecked it in a caption.
‘Cancel culture run amok,’ Cheung said.
‘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—.’
While some TikTokers simply noted the ad’s multiple similarities to a 1980 Calvin Klein ad featuring then-child-model Brooke Shields – others lambasted Sweeney’s version as a sinister nod to eugenics; citing how ‘great genes’ and ‘great jeans’ are homophones.
TikTokkers, compiled by the New York Post, lambasted the ad as ‘Nazi propaganda’ and ‘fascist-weird.’
Activist Zellie Imani, whose X profile includes the phrase ‘All Black Everything,’ called the ad a ‘love letter to White nationalism and eugenic fantasies, and Sydney Sweeney knew it.’
Those types of responses drew their own incredulous comment from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas:
‘Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women — I’m sure that will poll well,’ Cruz said on X.
First son Donald Trump Jr. took to Instagram to troll critics as well.
Trump Jr. posted an artificially-generated image of his father in the ad instead of Sweeney and paraphrased Owen Wilson’s fashion-designer-character catchphrase from the Ben Stiller film ‘Zoolander.’
‘Hanse – Um, Donald is so hot right now,’ Trump Jr. quipped.
Such signaling from the first family and the White House has also led to feelings that the cultural tide is turning in favor of the right for the first time in decades.
Proponents of that view also point to the cancellation of Stephen Colbert and the entire CBS ‘Late Show’ franchise.
American Eagle will reportedly be donating proceeds from such jeans to the national Crisis Text Line to support victims of domestic violence.
The company defended the ad in a statement last week:
‘This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic – trendsetting denim that leads, never follows,’ American Eagle & Aerie president and creative director Jennifer Foyle said.
‘Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in. With Sydney Sweeney front and center, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.’
American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein and family also have friendly ties with the Trumps, as the Wall Street Journal reported they have been Mar-a-Lago members for years and Schottenstein’s son held his wedding at the Palm Beach compound.