US President Donald Trump has praised actress Sydney Sweeney, after a reporter told him she was a registered Republican.
Sweeney, known for her roles in HBO shows Euphoria and White Lotus, stirred controversy last week after an American Eagle ad campaign launched with the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans'.
Multiple local news outlets on Sunday reported the HBO star's voting records show her being a registered Republican.
Reuters has not independently verified this.
When told by a reporter that Sweeney was a registered Republican, Mr Trump said: "Now I love her ad."
He made his comments on an airport tarmac in Allentown, Pennsylvania, en route back to the White House from a weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans", added Mr Trump.
The American Eagle campaign starring Sweeney caused an internet meltdown when it was released.
Some social media users were outraged, saying the wordplay of the tagline 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans', coupled with the actor's blue eyes and blonde hair, has racial undertones. Others, though, praised the campaign as lacking "woke" politics.
"Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My genes are blue," Sweeney, wearing denim on denim, says in one video.
People across social media have levelled criticism spanning the gamut, with some saying the campaign promotes "white supremacy" and "eugenics" while others have called it "sterile," a sign of "regression" or simply "rage bait".
But many others have applauded the campaign, posting comments like "woke is broke!" and "culture shift!"
Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas posted a photo of Sweeney on X and wrote, "Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well".
American Eagle said its collaboration with Sweeney was meant to "further elevate its position as the #1 jeans brand for Gen Z".
In the wake of the chatter triggered by the campaign, Washington Post fashion critic Rachel Tashjian wrote that whether or not the ad had racial undertones or anything intentional to say beyond selling jeans, it "is part of a wave of imagery of influencers, pop stars and musicians that feels tethered to the values of another time".
"For the past five or six years, it seemed like fashion and pop culture were very interested in - even dedicated to - body positivity. Now we're being fed a lot of images of thinness, whiteness and unapologetic wealth porn," Ms Tashjian said.
