Who is Russ Vought? All to know about the Republican as Donald Trump’s AI Grim Reaper video sparks backlash amid government shutdown

Donald Trump uploaded an AI-generated video on Truth Social on October 2, 2025. The video parodied Blue Öyster Cult's song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and showed the President and Vice President JD Vance playing in a band.

Then it showed Russ Vought as the Grim Reaper and called the Democrats babies. Vought is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and he is also the co-author of Project 2025, a political initiative aimed at reshaping the United States federal government.

Before posting the video on Thursday, the President had a meeting with Vought to discuss the government shutdown. For the unversed, it's the third government shutdown under Donald Trump's term. The previous two took place during his first term.

The AI-generated video implied that Vought was seemingly responsible for the federal workers' layoffs because he has "the pen, the funds and the brain."

🚨BREAKING: 🇺🇸Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video parody of Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” featuring Russell Vought as the Grim Reaper and Trump playing cowbell. Created by the Dilley Meme Team, it mocks Democrats with altered lyrics and stylized visuals. pic.twitter.com/AjGk7dCWIg

— Geostratfor (@ElCambur442953) October 3, 2025

Netizens heavily criticized the social media post, saying that uploading such videos amid a government shutdown was "cult-like behavior." One X user (@KryFiKairos) pointed out that Donald Trump used to be critical of deepfakes. However, now he posts such videos himself.

"Man spent 4 years railing against deepfakes now he's posting himself as lead singer in AI rock videos while civil servants wonder if they'll eat this month. America turned politics into meme content," one netizen wrote.

"This is dangerous because it shifts the focus away from real politics to entertainment and cult-like behavior. It is more reminiscent of authoritarian leaders who stage themselves as mythical figures than a democratically elected president who works for the people," another netizen noted.

"If you can't respect the opposition your not a real leader, Donald trump has made America the biggest joke in history," one X user added.

"While Trump fiddles with deranged AI clown shows amid a government shutdown, real Americans are starving for leadership that doesn't treat the Oval Office like a bad acid trip," another user wrote.

"Who needs a functioning economy and healthcare when you can have videos instead," one user stated.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Donald Trump "likes to have a little fun" with the AI-generated videos

Karoline Leavitt was asked about Donald Trump's Grim Reaper video during a press briefing on Friday (October 3, 2025). The reporter questioned whether the video meant more layoffs were coming, as Leavitt called the firing of federal workers an "unfortunate consequence."

The White House press secretary replied, saying that Trump enjoyed posting parody videos, and it does not mean that the administration wanted to fire more people. Leavitt noted that sometimes they have to make "tough decisions" even when they don't want to.

"The President likes to have a little fun and both can be true at the same time... We don't like laying people off. Nobody takes joy, and if you think that, that's very sad. You view the White House and our staff as wanting to put people out of work," she stated.

Meanwhile, a few hours after the President's post, Russell Vought announced on X that $2.1 billion in transit infrastructure projects in Chicago have been put on hold.