The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was rocked by scandal recently when a video of American President Donald Trump kissing the fingers of Elon Musk appeared on all screens in the department. The video, accompanied by the message “Long live the real king”, made reference to a social media post by Trump where he referred to himself as a monarch.
While the video had already circulated on the internet over the weekend, its sudden appearance on government monitors caused panic among HUD employees who were unable to delete it through normal means.
HUD spokeswoman Casey Lovett criticized the incident as a “useless waste of taxpayer funds” and vowed that those responsible would face consequences. The department is currently investigating how the inappropriate content made its way onto the screens.
Amidst mass layoffs and restructuring of the US government under the guidance of Elon Musk, federal departments are facing uncertainty. Employees are now required to report their achievements weekly to avoid termination, leading to protests over the controversial measures.
With a debate ongoing about whether decisions regarding civil servants should be made by humans or algorithms, the appearance of the strange video on HUD screens is seen as either a deliberate provocation or a desperate attempt at humor in the face of organizational changes. In an environment of chaos, any tactic, no matter how absurd, can be used to gain influence.
While HUD screens are now functioning normally again, the incident has raised concerns about the internal security of federal institutions in the US. The breach has prompted questions about the potential for similar incidents to occur in other departments in the future.