Donald Trump Jr. leaves people 'beyond nauseous' with 'creepy' Sydney Sweeney joke involving his own father
Clothing brand American Eagle has been under fire for days after running a 'racially charged' ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney being described as 'Nazi propaganda.'
'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' a tagline in one of the videos featuring the blonde-haired, blue-eyed 27-year-old reads.
After the launch, many social media users, particularly on the video-sharing platform TikTok, voiced their disapproval of the messaging they viewed as racially charged.
'That Hanse.... Um, Donald is so hot right now!!!' Donald Trump Jr. captioned an AI-generated image of his father's face superimposed over Sweeney's denim-clad body.
The image was posted along with the song 'Relax' by the Hollywood Session Singers, which featured in the 2001 comedy 'Zoolander' about an evil fashion guru and aspiring model.
Trump Jr.'s post generated a substantial amount of comments on social media, with mixed reactions.
Instagram user shawna.lahman replied to the post 'Trump voter here, but would honestly like to unsee this. Also that song,' with a thumbs-down emoji posted alongside a disapproving face.
X user @BixbyMabel73819 said that the photo made her 'beyond nauseous,' while @sandycsltx said that it was a 'Creepy hot daddy pix.'
Another X user with the handle @GenePavlova said someone had 'to have a bad case of TDS to not love this picture.'
'Good one, the 'genes' are with you,' wrote Instagram user linnyquattro.
Donald Jr. was the first child born to Donald Trump and his first wife, Ivana. The two are also the parents of his siblings, Eric and Ivanka.
'Clearly where you got your good looks between your parents you lucked out,' wrote Instagram user dkgibson3.
Trump Jr. is not the first member of the president's inner circle to weigh in on the controversy.
White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung stepped in Tuesday afternoon to defend the ad from criticism.
'Cancel culture run amok. 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 bull**t' Cheung wrote on his official X account.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who regularly rages against ' woke culture' also inserted himself in the drama Tuesday.
He wrote on X: 'Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well….'
Social media users were intrigued by Cruz's decision to comment on the controversy.
An X user posting under the handle @williamclaybags told Cruz, 'there's literally no reason for you to comment on this story.'
'Just a little self-exposure out of you. You see things through the optics of a vote. Interesting,' wrote another with the username @ColeJJones.
Others, meanwhile, recalled an incident that occurred when now-President Donald Trump attacked the appearance of Cruz's wife Heidi during the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
'Why didn't you stand up for Heidi Ruiz (your wife) like this when @realDonaldTrump called her ugly?' asked X user @mondalerobinson. , asking why the senator's wife didn't get the same defense he has provided Sweeney.
'Remember when Trump said your wife was beyond busted and you were like Sir Yes Sir! Lol' mused X user @chudbastard.
The reference to Sweeney's 'genes' didn't sit well with many people on social media, who accused the ads of being a racial dog whistle.
Despite the loud backlash, the double-entendre has seemingly resonated, with American Eagle stock up more than 11 percent since last Wednesday, with a notable spike the day the commercials were released.
The phrase 'great genes' is 'historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,' which it said made 'this campaign seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move,' a Salon report on the backlash read.
Taking to social media, many expressed their shock at messaging - which they aligned to Nazi propaganda.
Outraged fans penned: 'So Sydney (& American Eagle) somehow expect audiences to not interpret this visual as a euphemism for eugenics and white supremacy?'
'The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad campaign is just modern day Nazi propaganda. Like it's wild how blatant it is. Things are weird right now, man.'
But American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers has a decidedly different explanation for what the company was trying to accomplish with the ads featuring Sweeney.
According to Brommers, Sweeney is one of the most recognizable young people in the world.
He said he and others thought putting her face in ads right before the back-to-school season would be a winning strategy.
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