How Did Sydney Sweeney Suddenly Become the New Face of MAGA & the Alt-Right?
Sydney Sweeney has gone from being known as the breakout star of Euphoria to becoming a lightning rod for controversy. The latest drama centers around her new ad with American Eagle, which has sparked outrage, praise, and even political commentary. But the ad is just one part of a growing conversation around Sweeney’s image, one that’s now being tied to the MAGA movement and the online alt-right.
It all started with what looked like a harmless American Eagle jeans commercial. In the ad, Sydney Sweeney smiles and says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color… my jeans are blue.” It’s clearly a pun, playing on the words “genes” and “jeans”, but many online didn’t see it as just a joke.
Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle, oh my god. pic.twitter.com/tDkeGT9R7G
— Sydney Sweeney Daily (@sweeneydailyx) July 24, 2025
On TikTok, a video posted by @thealtperspective called the ad “literally an ad FULL of racist and fascist dog whistles.” It quickly went viral, with millions of views and thousands of comments debating the meaning behind the message.
Some critics claimed the ad made subtle references to eugenics, the harmful belief that some genetic traits, like blonde hair and blue eyes, are superior to others. It’s quite a reach, yeah, I agree.
@thealtperspective also it’s all about her body AGAIN #americaneaglejeans #sydneysweeney #americaneagle ♬ original sound – american_gulf
Dr. Brett Staniland, a fashion advocate, told Newsweek, “The terminology and its inferences suggest a connection to Sydney Sweeney’s appearance being perfect, denoting her blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin.” For many online, the combination of those words and Sweeney’s physical appearance wasn’t random, it looked like a quiet nod to outdated and dangerous ideas about race and beauty.
At first, American Eagle stayed silent. But after days of growing criticism, the brand posted on Instagram: “Her jeans. Her story. We’ll keep celebrating how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, in their own way. Great jeans look good on everyone.” Still, a lot of people felt that wasn’t enough, and the backlash continued.
But something else happened, too, the controversy seemed to boost American Eagle’s stock. Reports from Quartz showed that right after the campaign launched, the brand’s value shot up by 17%, adding around $400 million. A few days later, it was still up by 4%. Whether intentional or not, the brand seemed to benefit from the culture war around Sweeney.
Then things took a more political turn. Former president Donald Trump shared the ad on his social media platform, calling it “the HOTTEST ad out there” and adding, “Being WOKE is for losers — being Republican is what you want to be.” In a separate post, he called Sweeney “a registered Republican”, which added even more fuel to the fire.
That wasn’t just talk. As Newsweek later confirmed, public voter records show that Sydney Sweeney registered as a Republican in Florida on June 14, 2024. She registered in Monroe County and is officially listed as an active voter with the Republican Party of Florida. The story picked up even more speed after a post on X by user @time222smoke first claimed she was registered GOP.
While some fans defended her, others saw this as another clue that Sweeney was shifting further toward conservative and even far-right circles. For her critics, the idea that a young, blonde, blue-eyed actress is promoting beauty standards that echo white nationalism, while being publicly tied to the Republican Party, is more than just bad timing.
They see it as a sign that she’s becoming a kind of icon for the MAGA movement and the online alt-right.
This isn’t the first time Sydney has been at the center of a political controversy. Back in 2022, she got in trouble for sharing photos from her mother’s 60th birthday party. In the pictures, guests wore red MAGA-style hats and shirts with “Blue Lives Matter” slogans.
Her brother Trent later clarified that the hats said “Make Sixty Great Again,” not the well-known Trump slogan.
Sweeney responded by saying, “An innocent celebration for my mom’s milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention. Please stop making assumptions.” But not everyone believed her then, and now, that moment is being brought up again as part of a larger pattern.
Another old video recently resurfaced online and added to the image some people are building around her. The clip shows Sweeney at a gun range, practicing her shooting skills. It was originally shared by Taran Tactical Innovations, a firearms company that trains celebrities and influencers.
After news of her political registration broke, the company re-posted the video alongside the American Eagle ad. The combination of guns, conservative politics, and traditional beauty created a mix that many see as aligning perfectly with certain right-wing ideals.
All of these pieces — the ad, her voting record, the gun range video, the birthday party — have come together in a way that’s made Sweeney a favorite among some right-wing groups. Her fans in those circles see her as a young, successful woman who isn’t afraid to be conservative in Hollywood.
They say she’s being unfairly attacked for her beliefs. Others argue that she’s playing into dangerous stereotypes and dog whistles, whether she means to or not.
Sweeney herself hasn’t responded to any of the recent controversy. She hasn’t commented on the ad backlash, the Trump posts, or her voter registration. So far, it’s all been silence.
For some, she’s become a symbol of how even a seemingly harmless jeans ad can turn into a political flashpoint. For others, she’s just another example of a celebrity being “canceled” over nothing. But one thing is clear, Sydney Sweeney isn’t just an actress anymore. She’s become a figure in a much bigger cultural battle, and her place in that fight is only growing.
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