“He’s a salesman … Anything else but that? He knows nothing,” Jeffrey Epstein said about Donald Trump in an interview with Michael Wolff. 

“What else recommends him?” Wolff asked Epstein.

“His ability to sell. He is charming. He is able to convince people … He tells everybody what they want to hear.”

American Eagle recently launched an ad campaign starring popular actress Sydney Sweeney. In the various videos and pictures in the ad campaign, Sweeney wears jeans and a jean jacket. The camera captures her body in sensual ways, accentuating her butt and breasts. She even says, “They make your butt look amazing.” 

The motto for the ad campaign is “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” This is a play on words with “genes,” alluding to Sweeney’s objectively beautiful appearance. 

The trending commercial takes inspiration from a 1980 Calvin Klein ad campaign featuring then 15-year-old Brooke Shields. That campaign also used wordplay with “jeans” and “genes,” while showing off Shields’ flexibility and physical features, as well. 

The Sydney Sweeney ad campaign is a hit, trending across social media platforms and drawing commentary from celebrities. 

American Eagle’s jeans could be overpriced, inadequate or the product of child labor. Would we care? Nope. All you can think is: “Hubba bubba, hubba bubba, hubba bubba.”

Sydney Sweeney is sexy. She’s young and attractive and one of the most sought-after actresses in film and television today, starring in “Euphoria,” “The White Lotus” and “Anyone But You.” American Eagle knows what it’s doing — and isn’t even hiding it. 

In comes Mr. Trump. 

American Eagle stock jumped over 23% on Aug. 4th after President Trump wrote on social media, “Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there.”

No matter what headlines of impending doom may be out there, humans remain creatures of emotion. We remain googly-eyed, not at balance sheets and cold hard facts, but at big boobs and funny “Fat Face Vance” memes. In America, especially, how you sell something is more important than what you’re selling. 

Always Be Closing, right? 

During a speech in 2006, Donald Trump tells a story: “A beautiful girl who was 17 or 18 applied to be a waitress … She’s so beautiful. And my people came, [they] said, ‘But Mr. Trump, she has no experience.’ … So I interviewed her anyway. Because she was so pretty. And I said, ‘Let me ask you, do you have any experience?’ She goes, ‘No, sir.’ I said, ‘When can you start?’”

Trump could very well be some angry, sex-crazed old man. He may know nothing about politics and tariffs, but the president and American Eagle both understand a fundamental truth: Salesmanship trumps all. Pun intended. 

Who’s going to pay attention to what’s really going on when you’re building a ballroom, swearing at foreign nations, posting AI-generated memes, saying there are two genders in your Inauguration Address and telling the Washington Commanders to change their name back to the Redskins? 

And talking about commercials with sexy actresses?

Telling the people what they want to hear, and showing them what they want to see. News sources such as NBC, Forbes, BBC, Yahoo Finance and The Guardian all covered Trump’s comments on Sydney Sweeney, making national headlines. 

President Trump leveraging this viral ad campaign to promote the Republican party and his reputation among younger generations is another classic example of his savvy salesmanship. 

Trump understands that distracting the public through exaggeration and sex appeal is far more effective in maintaining power than well-developed policies and being a role model for younger generations. Notice how Trump is more concerned with staying in power, rather than with what he is doing with his power.

When you see the president threatening foreign nations and complimenting Sydney Sweeney, don’t be fooled: Trump’s unpredictable and radical moves are calculated headline-grabbers, utilizing TV and social media to keep himself in the public eye and his politics in the shadows. 

President Trump has turned the world into a tabloid. And if there are tabloids that resonate strongly with his voter base, he is quick to attach himself and say something quotable. Trump knows what he’s doing — and he’s not even hiding it. 

American Eagle has faced intense scrutiny following the Sydney Sweeney ad campaign, with critics citing ties to eugenics and white supremacy. Stores have seen a reduction in foot traffic, as well. 

Meanwhile, Trump has moved on to meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, handpicking Kennedy Center honorees and having Hillary Clinton suggest he could win the Nobel Peace Prize.

For Mr. Trump, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. 

As the fictional TV anchor Howard Beale preaches in the 1976 film “Network,” “This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers. This tube is the most awesome goddamned force in the whole godless world! And woe us if it ever falls in the hands of the wrong people.”

Alex is a sophomore in LAS. 

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