Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery
A clip of the former Georgia senator walking stiffly with an empty binder drew over 1,700 comments and comparisons to AI or aliens
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Trump Appointee’s ‘Awkward’ Empty Binder Video Goes Viral
Photograph: Internewscast (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Kelly Loeffler, Trump’s Small Business Administration chief, appeared in a TikTok video that went viral for her stiff walk and an empty binder.
- The video, posted by the SBA, received over 6,600 likes and 1,700 comments, many mocking her demeanour or questioning its authenticity.
- Social media users compared Loeffler’s movements to AI, aliens, or first-time human behaviour, while some outlets highlighted her political background.
- The right-rated digest led on the video’s virality, while left-rated reports emphasised the mockery and conspiracy theories it inspired.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 9 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
58/100
Hype
51/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Kelly Loeffler, the Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator and former Georgia senator, appeared in a TikTok video posted by the agency on 16 August 2026. The clip showed her walking stiffly down a series of hallways while holding a black binder that appeared to contain no paperwork. An off-camera voice asked her questions about her role, including whether she was in the Cabinet. Loeffler confirmed she was, adding that President Donald Trump had texted her to say the position was now a Cabinet-level role.
The video quickly gained traction on social media, accumulating over 6,600 likes and more than 1,700 comments on the SBA’s TikTok account. Users described her walk as 'awkward' and 'unsettling', with some questioning whether the clip was AI-generated. Others joked about the empty binder or compared her movements to aliens or first-time human behaviour. Loeffler, a billionaire and former co-owner of a WNBA team, was appointed to the Senate by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in 2019 and later lost a special election to Democrat Raphael Warnock in 2020.
What the coverage left out
The right-rated digest did not mention the empty binder, the AI or alien comparisons, or Loeffler’s political history beyond her appointment by Trump. None of the digests or reports carried a response from Loeffler or her office to the viral reaction, though Internewscast noted it had reached out for comment.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 17 Aug 2026, 03:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The five left-rated digests and reports led on the mockery and conspiracy theories the video inspired. BuzzFeed’s full report described the clip as 'terrifying' and 'wickedly, violently awkward', quoting social media users who called it 'one of the most unsettling videos' they had seen or joked about aliens. The Independent’s digest noted comparisons to 'the aliens in Mars Attacks', while Raw Story’s digest highlighted users who said Loeffler 'walks like the aliens'. Alternet’s digest framed the video as evidence of Loeffler’s disconnect from ordinary experience, noting her billionaire status and political background.
- Mediaite’s digest quoted users who questioned whether the video was AI-generated, while BuzzFeed’s report listed the top 12 comments, including 'First day in a human body is always awkward' and 'What on God’s green Earth is that?'. The left-rated reports carried the detail that Loeffler had lost her Senate seat to Raphael Warnock in 2020, and that she was married to billionaire Jeffrey Sprecher. None of the left-rated digests or reports omitted the empty binder or the viral mockery.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Internewscast’s full report led on the video’s virality and the 'awkward' details that drew attention, including the empty binder and Loeffler’s stiff walk. The report quoted social media users who joked about the binder or questioned her movements, such as 'I need to see some other videos of her because there’s no way she moves like this'. It also noted Loeffler’s political background, including her Senate appointment by Brian Kemp and her 2020 election loss to Warnock. The report carried the detail that Trump had texted Loeffler to confirm her Cabinet status, and that the SBA administrator role was not previously guaranteed a Cabinet spot.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated digest from The News led on the video’s virality, describing Loeffler’s walk and behaviour as 'bizarre' and the subject of social media discussion. The digest did not mention the empty binder, the AI or alien comparisons, or Loeffler’s political background beyond her appointment by Trump. It did not quote social media reactions or carry the detail that the SBA role was now a Cabinet position.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Trump Cabinet member mocked for awkward TikTok video: ‘Walks like the aliens’ (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Appointee Roasted Over Video of Her Stiffly Walking By Pics of Herself: ‘This Has To Be AI, Right?’ (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
- Trump official startles with 'awkward' video: 'Walks like the aliens in Mars Attacks' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- A High-Ranking Trump Official's Disturbing Video Is Going Viral And People Are Horrified (opens Buzzfeed in a new tab)
- 'Your binder is empty': Trump official ridiculed over 'unsettling' video (opens Alternet in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
2- Kelly Loeffler, Trump's latest MAGA cabinet goon, released a painfully awkward 'walk and talk' video - 18 people sticking their necks out to make jokes (opens thepoke.com in a new tab)
thepoke.com — is thepoke.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Illinois Trump Cabinet Member's Clumsy Q&A Sparks Odd AI Theories: ‘Genuinely One of the Most Unsettling Videos' (opens The Nerd Stash in a new tab)
The Nerd Stash — is The Nerd Stash biased? Our profile of this outlet
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 71% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 14% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 9. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery biased?
- Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Kelly Loeffler's TikTok video as SBA chief sparks viral mockery?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What was in Kelly Loeffler’s binder in the TikTok video?
- The binder Loeffler carried in the TikTok video appeared to contain no paperwork, according to multiple reports. Social media users and outlets described it as empty, with some joking about its lack of contents or questioning its purpose. The detail was widely reported across left and centre-rated outlets.
- How many likes and comments did the video get?
- The video posted on the Small Business Administration’s TikTok account received over 6,600 likes and more than 1,700 comments. The figures were reported by Internewscast and carried in digests from left-rated outlets, including BuzzFeed and Raw Story.
- Did any outlets suggest the video was AI-generated?
- Yes, Mediaite’s digest and The Nerd Stash’s digest both noted that social media users questioned whether the video was AI-generated. BuzzFeed’s report also quoted a comment asking, 'Is this an AI.' The comparisons were emphasised in left-rated coverage.
- What did Kelly Loeffler say about her Cabinet status in the video?
- In the video, Loeffler confirmed she was in the Cabinet, adding that President Donald Trump had texted her to say the SBA administrator role was now a Cabinet-level position. The detail was reported by Internewscast and carried in its full report.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
