AI-generated video of Trump & Musk takes over US govt screens

As hundreds of thousands of federal employees began their workweek facing a deadline from President Donald Trump's cost-cutting chief, Elon Musk, to explain their recent accomplishments or risk losing their jobs, some of them at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) witnessed a bizarre scene at work — an AI-generated video of Trump aggressively licking Musk's feet played non-stop on every television throughout the building.

A text reading "Long Live the Real King" was prominently displayed over the brief video on Monday, which played on a loop. In it, Musk can be seen reclining with his bare feet as Trump kneels and pores over Musk's feet.

The fake video was reportedly displayed in HUD's cafeteria, according to social media posts.

It was likely shown as a result of a hack and the video appears to be AI-generated as both of Musk's feet appear to be a left foot.

Confirming the video played on HUD TVs, the department's spokesperson Kasey Lovett, called it "another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources," while vowing "appropriate action will be taken for all involved."

The roughly 5-second clip was taken down by the HUD, but it is still going viral on BlueSky and other social media platforms including Musk's X.

HUD staff had to manually stop the video by turning off TVs in the building, an unnamed federal staffer told Wired.

The video at HUD appeared to mock an image that was posted on the official White House account last week which showed "King" Trump with a crown on his head.

Musk demands civil-service workers justify jobs

Musk, the billionaire advisor to Trump and the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, said last week that all US federal employees must justify their work or lose their jobs, hours after the president pushed him to be "more aggressive" in slashing government spending.

Musk — the world's richest person and Trump's biggest donor — has led the effort to fire swaths of the government workforce.

Musk’s unusual demand has faced resistance from several key US agencies led by the president's loyalists — including the FBI, State Department, Homeland Security and the Pentagon — which instructed their employees over the weekend not to comply.

Lawmakers in both parties said that Musk's mandate may be illegal, while unions are threatening to sue.

Thousands of government employees have been forced out of the federal workforce — either by being fired or through a "deferred resignation" offer — during the first month of Trump's second term.

There's no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs.

Thousands of other employees are preparing to leave the federal workforce this coming week, including probationary civilian workers at the Pentagon and all but a fraction of US Agency for International Development staffers through cuts or leave.

The Office of Community Planning and Development, within the HUD, is slated to lose 84 percent of its staff, NPR reported last week, adding "that target is the deepest of any office in the agency."