Actress Sydney Sweeney is finally addressing the whirlwind surrounding her viral American Eagle jeans campaign, a controversy that drew attention from both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

According to Fox News, the campaign, promoted with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” sparked backlash from some progressives, who argued the ad’s wordplay comparing “jeans” to “genes” promoted Whiteness and eugenics.

In a new GQ interview promoting her latest film Christy, Sweeney reflected on the surreal experience of finding herself at the center of a national conversation.

“The president and the vice president spoke about the jeans ad. What was that like?” the interviewer asked.

“It was surreal,” Sweeney replied.

Trump weighed in both on Truth Social and in interviews, noting his surprise at Sweeney’s political leanings.

“She’s a registered Republican?” Trump said after reports confirmed Sweeney voted GOP in 2024. “Oh, now I love her ad.”

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Vance also commented earlier this year on the Ruthless podcast, jokingly warning Democrats to “continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi.” He added, “You have, like, a normal all-American beautiful girl doing like a normal jeans ad, right? They’re trying to sell, you know, sell jeans to kids in America and they have managed to so unhinge themselves over this thing. And it’s like, you guys, did you learn nothing from the November 2024 election?”

Sweeney, known for her roles on HBO’s Euphoria and The White Lotus, said she largely tried to ignore the backlash but felt compelled to address claims that the controversy hurt American Eagle’s sales.

“I was aware of the numbers as it was going,” she told GQ. “So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true. It was all made up.”

Despite the political firestorm, Sweeney emphasized her focus on her personal values and future projects.

“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next,” she said. “And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”