President-elect Donald Trump’s most hardcore followers are demanding that attorney and former government official Kash Patel become the next director of the FBI.
Over on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, users are advocating for the controversial advisor with the hashtag #OnlyKash.
Patel previously served as deputy director of national intelligence and chief of staff to the acting United States secretary of defense during Trump’s presidency and is widely viewed as an ardent loyalist.
Support for Patel, which was already high among the MAGA movement, exploded after Vice President-elect JD Vance revealed in a now-deleted tweet on Tuesday that Trump was interviewing candidates to replace current FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Wray is viewed both by Trump and his supporters as a part of the “Deep State” and an enemy for his perceived disloyalty. The bureau’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election has also made it a target for conservatives.
“#OnlyKash for FBI,” Truth Social user JMChambers said.
Users on the app believe he’s the only one sufficiently willing to clean house.
“Kash is King! We need him for FBI Director to take the trash out. And there’s a lotta trash! #OnlyKash,” wrote a poster.
Yet the term isn’t just going viral on Trump’s platform. Over on X, which has become increasingly dominated by right-wing content following billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase, the hashtag became a trending topic as well.
Clips of Patel calling to shut down the FBI’s headquarters were also widely shared as part of the campaign.
“I’d shut down the FBI Hoover building on day 1 and [reopen] the next day as a museum of the deep state,” Patel wrote.
“The Number 1 Hashtag on X is #OnlyKash,” the popular X user Wall Street Apes wrote. “We need Kash Patel as Director of The FBI.”
Patel has long made his interest in vastly reshaping the FBI well known.
In his 2023 book “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” Patel suggested that his desire to dismantle the FBI was clearly partisan when warning that Democrats “should be very afraid.”
“The FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken,” Patel said.
While those outside of Trump’s orbit may be concerned about what an FBI under Trump would look like, most concerns surround whether Patel will be willing to push back on Trump’s more authoritarian impulses.
Although Patel appears to be a favorite, Trump has not yet officially announced any pick for FBI Director.
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