Pentagon joins ‘great jeans’ discourse with Hegseth photo

The Pentagon has waded into the discourse around an American Eagle ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney that has recently sparked controversy.

“@secdef has great jeans,” the Pentagon said in a Monday post on the social platform X, featuring a photo of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wearing jeans.

The ad campaign featuring Sweeney has resulted in backlash over what some have deemed racist undertones. A majority of the criticism has surrounded the campaign’s title: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” riffing on “good genes.”

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color,” Sweeney said in one video from the campaign while showing off the brand’s jeans. “My jeans are blue.”

On Monday, President Trump weighed in on the Sweeney ad campaign, saying 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 his Truth Social platform.

A day before, Trump said, “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”

The clothing company’s stock climbed 14 percent after Trump first mentioned the ad campaign.