On Monday, monitors at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., displayed a fake AI-generated video featuring President Trump and Elon Musk. The video, seen by employees, bore the message “Long Live the Real King.” This incident occurred shortly after Musk, appointed by Trump to cut federal spending, demanded employees summarize their weekly accomplishments, threatening implied resignations for non-compliance. Some agency heads advised against compliance due to sensitive work matters. The video incident coincided with the first day of mandatory in-office work for federal employees, sparking investigations into how the monitors were hacked.
Monitors at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development displayed a fabricated video on Monday showing President Trump sucking the toes of Elon Musk, as reported by department employees and others who were informed of the incident. The video, seemingly created by artificial intelligence, featured the phrase “Long Live the Real King.” This clip appeared just two days after Mr. Musk — the tech billionaire appointed by Mr. Trump to implement cuts throughout the federal government — instructed federal employees to respond to an email requesting a summary of their achievements from the past week, with the implication that failure to do so would be considered a resignation. Although this warning was absent from the email, it did set a deadline for federal employees to submit about five bullet points detailing their accomplishments by Monday night.
A number of cabinet secretaries, including those involved in national security, directed their respective agencies not to adhere to the directive due to the delicate nature of their work. According to three individuals familiar with the matter at the housing department, staff have sought guidance from their superiors regarding compliance with the order, but no agency-wide instructions have been provided. The looping video welcomed housing department employees on the first day all staff were expected back at their headquarters full-time, in accordance with Mr. Trump’s mandate to end remote work for federal employees. Officials were unable to determine how the monitors were compromised to show the video, ultimately resorting to unplugging several devices, according to two individuals connected to the event.
“Another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources. Appropriate action will be taken for all involved,” stated Kasey Lovett, a spokeswoman for the department.