The US government is entering its second week of a shutdown. In response, naturally, President Donald Trump has been posting some wild AI-generated videos mocking Democrats. One particularly absurd clip shared on his Truth Social platform last week was a parody of Blue Öyster Cult's “Don’t Fear The Reaper." The whole thing would be pretty upsetting even if it didn't begin with an animated Trump in a cloak not even hitting the cowbell on beat. (AI Vice President JD Vance is on drums.)
In the video, Director Of The United States Office Of Management And Budget Russ Vought is featured as the Grim Reaper who will pursue mass layoffs of federal workers and shutdown democratic agencies. "Russ Vought is the Reaper/ He wields the pen, the funds, and the brain/ Here comes the Reaper," goes one line.
Trump posts a lot of AI slop but this particular video garnered a lot of attention. ABC News' Mary Bruce asked about it in a White House briefing on Friday: "The president has described this as an unprecedented opportunity to lay off additional workers. He's posted a video likening it to the Grim Reaper. Which is it? Is this an opportunity to fire more workers or an 'unfortunate consequence'?"
"He likes to have a little fun and both can be true at the same time," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded.
And over the weekend, BÖC were compelled to address it in a statement posted on Facebook. "BLUE ÖYSTER CULT was not contacted or notified in advance," the classic rock band wrote. "The copyright in the song(Don’t Fear) The Reaper is 100% owned by SONY MUSIC. BLUE ÖYSTER CULT has no legal right to either authorize or withhold usage, which is 100% controlled by SONY MUSIC."
