Trump wades into controversial ad campaigns: ‘Being WOKE is for losers’
President Trump on Monday weighed in on the recent controversial ad campaign with actor Sydney Sweeney for American Eagle, arguing that the success of it is a sign that being “woke is for losers.”
“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 said on Truth Social.
The ad featuring Sweeney has caused backlash online, with critics claiming there are racist undertones surrounding the message that Sweeney “has great jeans,” a riff on the idea of “good genes.” American Eagle has defended the ad, saying it’s only about “jeans,” Bloomberg reported, and the company’s shares rose when it was first released in July.
The president on Sunday said, “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic,” after BuzzFeed reported over the weekend that Sweeney has been registered to the Republican Party of Florida since June 2024.
After his first mention on Sweeney, American Eagle stock climbed 14 percent.
Trump, in his Truth Social post on Monday, added that Jaguar had a “stupid” and “seriously WOKE” ad from a year ago, pointing out the company's leader resigned after it.
The British car company’s CEO Adrian Mardell is set to resign, Reuters reported, and Jaguar ran an advertisement in 2024 that sparked criticism for being “woke,” Fox Business Network reported.
“Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad. 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.” Trump said.
And, he compared megastar Taylor Swift, who endorsed former Vice President Harris in last year’s election, to Sweeney and said she is “no longer hot.”
“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!),” Trump said. “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.”
The president has taken previous swipes at Swift, saying in May, “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?'”
After the Sweeney advertisement, White House communications director Steven Cheung pointed to the backlash as an example of “cancel culture run amok.”
Vice President Vance also mocked critics in a recent interview, blaming Democrats for those who argue the commercial promotes eugenics.