Dunkin’ Donuts Ad With Gavin Casalegno Triggers Leftist Meltdown

It didn’t take long. Just days after Sydney Sweeney’s unapologetically all-American ad campaign with American Eagle sent progressives into a tailspin, Dunkin’ Donuts joined the party and the left is melting down in spectacular fashion.

Their crime? Featuring actor Gavin Casalegno the breakout star of The Summer I Turned Pretty in a fun, poolside ad that playfully references his natural tan and “golden summer” aesthetic. The vibe was classic, breezy Americana. But that’s exactly what triggered the mob.

“This tan? Genetics,” Casalegno says with a smirk. “I just got my color analysis back. Guess what? Golden summer. Literally.”

Pretty harmless, right? Not if you’re a perpetually offended keyboard warrior on TikTok.

Almost instantly, the left’s outrage machine kicked into high gear:

• One TikTok user called it “another eugenics-based ad”, claiming the brand was promoting “white perfection.”

• Others accused Dunkin’ of “dog whistles” and demanded the coffee chain apologize for… celebrating summer and good looks?

• Another user screeched, “Dunkin’ learned nothing from AE and Sweeney!” as if featuring good-looking celebrities now constitutes political heresy.

The hysteria echoes the exact backlash American Eagle faced just a week earlier for its denim ad with Sydney Sweeney, where she cheekily quipped about her “great genes” in a nod to both her style and confidence. The left couldn’t handle that either.

The truth is simple: normal Americans are tired of being lectured by woke corporations, and the success of these ads proves it. Brands that lean into classic appeal, natural charisma, and a little playful confidence are winning because they’re speaking to the vast majority of Americans who are sick of identity politics dominating every product, movie, or coffee run.

Let’s be real:

• No one thinks Gavin Casalegno talking about his tan is a “racist dog whistle.”

• No one outside the TikTok outrage bubble believes Sydney Sweeney’s “great genes” was a coded reference to eugenics.

• And no one is buying the idea that marketing iced coffee or denim jeans is somehow a threat to democracy.

This isn’t about ads. It’s about a cultural shift.

The left spent years dominating media with woke messaging, virtue signals, and manufactured guilt. But now, brands are learning there’s money and massive support in leaning back toward reality, authenticity, and yes, even beauty.

And it’s driving progressives insane.

Dunkin’ isn’t backing down. Neither is American Eagle. And judging by the applause from normal Americans, they’re not alone.

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