Sydney Sweeney Reacts To Trump's Praise Of Her Ad, Gushed 'It Was Surreal'

'It was surreal', Sydney Sweeney said of US President Donald Trump praising her American Eagle advert.

Sweeney's remark came in a wide-ranging GQ interview in which the actress reflected on a summer flashpoint that turned a jeans campaign into a political spectacle. The advert's circulation through social media, support from high-profile conservative figures, and a sudden market reaction made the episode more than a marketing footnote; it became a moment in which culture, commerce, and politics collided.

Sweeney's Reaction: Calm Amid a Storm

In the GQ cover interview published on 4 November 2025, Sweeney told Katherine Stoeffel she largely missed the first wave of the controversy because she was filming and deliberately kept her phone off set.

She described President Trump's public praise of the advert as 'surreal', and said that, personally, she was not shaken by the debate because she understood the advert's intention, a light-handed claim that, simply put, she likes jeans.

The GQ piece traces how a short campaign line, playing on the homophone 'genes' and 'jeans', ballooned into an online controversy, with critics alleging troubling associations and others rallying to Sweeney's defence.

The article also notes that Sweeney declined to make political pronouncements around the campaign, emphasising instead the craft of her acting and producing work.

From Fashion Copy to Culture-War Flashpoint

The advert's text and tone were seized upon by commentators across the political spectrum, amplified by platforms where small controversies often metastasise into national stories.

According to GQ, the advert prompted a sharp social-media backlash alleging eugenic undertones, while conservative voices, including President Trump, publicly praised it, an unusual endorsement that magnified the story's reach.

That amplification had commercial consequences. GQ reports and market observers confirmed that American Eagle's stock experienced a marked rise in the wake of the attention, a phenomenon that demonstrates how polarised engagement can translate into immediate consumer behaviour. Analysts cited in coverage noted a spike in share interest and retail traffic after the campaign went viral.

The Actor, the Image, and the Media Machine

Sweeney's career arc helps explain why the advert mattered beyond the usual celebrity endorsement. The 28-year-old has become a focal point in discussions about representation and celebrity influence because of high-profile roles and a growing profile as a producer.

In the GQ interview, she discusses her craft, the intensive preparation for roles such as the boxing biopic Christy, and the discipline of leaving her phone behind while working, a personal practice that, she said, insulated her from immediate online blowback.

GQ's reporting contextualises the controversy not as an isolated incident but as a symptom of a larger media ecosystem in which imagery, short-form content, and partisan commentary quickly recombine into combustible narratives.

Sweeney's own posture in the interview, amused, slightly bewildered, and focused on her work, illustrates the human dimension, a performer whose quotidian intention (selling clothing) was refracted into a national conversation about culture and politics.

For Sweeney, the lasting impression from the interview is clear. She was surprised by the attention but largely untroubled by it. She framed the advert as a straightforward creative decision and reiterated that her principal concern remains the storytelling of her film and television projects.