Television screens at the Department of Housing and Urban Development showed what appeared to be an AI-generated video of President Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk’s feet on Monday.
The nightmarish clips were played on monitors inside the HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C., reports say. Footage of the incident was widely shared on social media, which showed the screens displaying the video emblazoned with the caption: “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING.”
The caption seemingly referenced Trump describing himself as a “king” in a Truth Social post last week.
“Another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources,” Kasey Lovett, a HUD spokesperson, told The Daily Beast in response to a request for comment about the apparent hack. “Appropriate action will be taken for all involved.”
It’s not clear who might be responsible for the incident. According to Rachel Siegel, a Washington Post reporter who covers housing, the video played on TVs “across the building.” The AI footage appears to be an edited version of another clip posted online at least as early as last week.
“The monitors at HUD are now showcasing the wins of the Trump administration, including action to lower the cost and expand the supply of affordable housing,” the press office of HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement to the Daily Beast. “We expect the media to cover these historic achievements with the same level of detail and immediacy as other frivolous stories.”
Last week, Trump wrote “LONG LIVE THE KING” on Truth Social in a post taking credit for having “SAVED” Manhattan from New York City’s congestion pricing program. A post on the White House’s X account shared Trump’s words along with an image showing Trump wearing a crown.
The apparent hack at HUD also comes as Musk and his representatives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency seek to slash federal spending, including by reducing the government workforce.
According to an Associated Press report based on leaked documents, a Trump administration proposal to cut 50 percent of staff at HUD is “targeting employees who support disaster recovery, rental subsidies, discrimination investigations and first-time homebuyers.” The news agency reported that more than a dozen of the department’s programs could be hit by the loss of some 4,000 roles.
Lovett told the AP that the documents “should not be taken as final” as staffing is assessed across the agency.
