President Donald J. Trump has once again ignited cultural warfare, this time by modeling jeans. The internet is melting down over American Eagle’s latest ad campaign, which features the sitting president reclined seductively in full denim with the tagline:
“Donald Trump Has Great Jeans.”
The ad, which debuted Monday morning, shows Trump sprawled across a studio backdrop in American Eagle’s Heritage Fit denim jacket and jeans, paired with a crisp white tee and unshakable confidence. Within minutes of the campaign’s launch, hashtags like #DenimReich and #Jeanocide began trending on X.
Critics say the ad is “eerily similar” to the recent Sydney Sweeney campaign that triggered accusations of white supremacy for celebrating her “great jeans.” In Trump’s case, the outrage has escalated further, with some calling for American Eagle to be removed from malls entirely.
“This is not just a jeans ad. This is coded authoritarianism in cotton blend,” tweeted a gender studies PhD candidate who called the photo “weaponized symmetry.”
“The denim is tailored for fascism. The pose is textbook Mussolini-softcore. We are witnessing the normalization of tyranny through hotness,” added a viral post with 47,000 likes and a Canva infographic.
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White House Press Secretary Carrie Lake dismissed the backlash as "another liberal denim delusion" and confirmed that President Trump personally chose the tagline after seeing a mockup and declaring, "It’s true. They’re great. Maybe the greatest."
In a Truth Social post Monday morning, Trump wrote,
“THEY SAID I COULD NEVER WEAR JEANS. WRONG. THESE ARE THE BEST. THE FIT, THE LOOK, THE PRESIDENT. BUY THEM NOW. AMERICAN EAGLE IS BACK, BABY.”
The American Eagle marketing team released a statement defending the campaign:
“‘Donald Trump Has Great Jeans’ is a tribute to self-expression, strength, and a man who doesn’t skip leg day. The denim doesn’t lie.”
Opponents claim the ad is part of a growing trend of “conservative-coded fashion propaganda,” citing a recent spike in buzzcuts, square jaws, and cowboy boots on TikTok as evidence.
Political commentator Rachel Maddow sounded the alarm on her show Monday night, asking,
“If we let Trump be hot in jeans today, what happens tomorrow? Jean camps?”
Meanwhile, Sydney Sweeney, who has remained silent during her own denim scandal, quietly liked the ad on Instagram, prompting calls for her immediate cancellation.
Despite the outrage, American Eagle’s stock jumped 17 percent overnight. Retail analysts report the Heritage Fit denim line has already sold out in sizes 32 through 46.
The White House says there are currently no plans for a follow-up campaign, although insiders claim a “Denim Daddy” calendar is in early development.
When asked by a reporter if he truly believes he has “great jeans,” Trump replied,
“Look at me. Of course I do. These jeans won Ohio.”
