It was a regular Monday morning at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, D.C. Employees were just getting their coffee, shaking off the weekend, and settling into their cubicles. Then the screens flickered.
What appeared on the internal monitors wasn't a standard memo or a weather update. It was a video. And honestly, it was one of the most bizarre things ever to play in a federal building.
The footage appeared to show Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk feet while the words "LONG LIVE THE REAL KING" flashed across the screen.
Naturally, the place went into a total tailspin.
The Video That Shook Washington
Let's be clear right away: the video was a deepfake. It wasn't real. We live in an era where AI can make anyone do basically anything on screen, and this was a prime example of "politics meets parody" taken to the absolute extreme.
Two HUD employees eventually confirmed to news outlets that the footage showed the President appearing to massage and peck at the billionaire's bare feet. It wasn't just a quick glitch, either. It played on repeat.
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Why HUD? Well, that's where things get interesting. At the time, back in early 2025, Musk was the face of the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He was hacking away at federal budgets, and federal workers were, to put it mildly, not thrilled.
The video was a "sign of resistance," as one anonymous staffer told NBC News. It was a digital middle finger to the power dynamic that had taken over D.C.
Why Everyone Believed it for a Split Second
The reason the Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk feet video went viral wasn't just because it was gross or weird. It was because the actual relationship between the two men had become so intensely close that the parody felt like a commentary on reality.
Think about the timeline:
- Late 2024: Musk is basically living at Mar-a-Lago.
- January 2025: Trump calls Musk a "star" and hands him the keys to the DOGE office.
- February 2025: The "feet-kissing" video hits the monitors at HUD.
People were already asking who was actually running the show. Was Musk the "shadow president"? The video took that anxiety and turned it into a literal, submissive image.
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The Great Bromance and the 2025 Breakup
If you haven't been following the soap opera, the Trump-Musk alliance didn't actually stay that cozy. By June 2025, the "bromance" had completely imploded.
The catalyst was something called the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB). Trump wanted a massive spending package. Musk, staying true to his "efficiency" brand, called it a "disgusting abomination."
The fallout was spectacular.
- Trump said he was "very disappointed" in Elon.
- Musk claimed Trump would have lost the election without him.
- Musk even threatened to decommission SpaceX Dragon spacecraft (which he luckily didn't do).
It’s kinda wild to look back at that AI video now. In February, the joke was that Trump was subservient to Musk. By June, they were practically at war on social media, with Trump threatening to pull federal contracts and Musk hinting at "Epstein files."
Where They Stand Now in 2026
Fast forward to today, January 2026. The dust has settled, mostly.
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Earlier this month, the two were spotted having a "lovely dinner" at Mar-a-Lago. Musk posted a photo with the President and First Lady, saying "2026 is going to be amazing!"
It seems the "king" and his "cost-cutter" have found a way to coexist again. But the image of Donald Trump kissing Elon Musk feet—even as a fake video—remains a permanent part of the weirdest political era in American history. It stands as a reminder of how quickly AI can be used to humiliate, and how blurred the lines between power and parody have become.
Protecting Yourself from Deepfake Misinformation
If you see something that looks too crazy to be true, it probably is. Especially when it involves high-profile political figures in compromising or bizarre positions.
- Check the Source: Was it an official broadcast or a hijacked screen?
- Look for Artifacts: Early 2025 AI still struggled with fingers, toes, and skin textures.
- Wait for Verification: Reputable news agencies (not just X accounts) will usually flag these as fakes within an hour.
The HUD incident wasn't just a prank; it was a glimpse into a future where pixels are weapons. If you're interested in how AI is changing the 2026 political landscape, you can start by setting up Google Alerts for "deepfake detection" to stay ahead of the next viral hoax.
Next Steps: To better understand the technical side of how these videos are made, you might want to look into "Generative Adversarial Networks" or check the latest updates from the Federal Election Commission on deepfake regulation laws for the upcoming midterms.