Trump says Kash Patel ‘has done a great job’ amid conservative backlash over Charlie Kirk shooter manhunt

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump threw his support behind FBI Director Kash Patel, commending him for overseeing the swift capture of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Patel, a longtime Trump ally with limited experience compared to his predecessors, has become the focus of sharp criticism, including from conservatives, over how the manhunt unfolded.

Donald Trump defends FBI Director Kash Patel

“I am very proud of the FBI,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “Kash—and everyone else—they have done a great job.”

Robinson’s arrest came less than two days after the shooting, following a confession to his father and a subsequent surrender to police. But the process was marred by errors, including Patel wrongly claiming a suspect had been taken into custody before retracting the statement.

Experts noted Patel’s approach to publicly sharing updates broke with FBI norms. “Historically, the FBI has been very cautious about releasing information to ensure that when they do, it is accurate,” said former FBI agent Katherine Schweit, author of 'Stop the Killing: How to End the Mass Shooting Crisis.'

Patel’s willingness to post about the case mid-investigation raised concerns within law enforcement.

According to The Washington Post, Patel also lashed out at colleagues during the search, demanding to see a photo of the suspect that was already in his briefing materials. Bureau insiders described Patel as “crumbling under pressure.”

The fallout comes at a sensitive time. Patel has been overseeing sweeping leadership changes at the FBI, firing several veteran officials. Three of those dismissed leaders filed a lawsuit this week, alleging they were pushed out over supposed disloyalty to Trump.

The reshuffle left the Salt Lake City field office, which played a central role in the Kirk case, under the direction of a supervisor who had been in the post less than a month.

Conservatives backlash over Kash Patel’s performance

High-profile conservative commentators expressed doubts about Patel’s competence during the crisis. Activist Christopher Rufo said Patel “performed terribly” and urged Republicans to question whether he can manage national security challenges.

He wrote: “I’m grateful that Utah authorities have captured the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination, and think it is time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI. He performed terribly in the last few days, and it’s not clear whether he has the operational expertise to investigate, infiltrate, and disrupt the violent movements—of whatever ideology—that threaten the peace in the United States.” 

Media personality John Cardillo was equally blunt, calling the bureau’s handling of public updates “clumsy and sloppy.” He wrote, “Thoroughly unimpressed with Kash Patel after this. Public info releases from the Bureau have been clumsy and sloppy.”

Members of the online far right also mocked Patel after he said, following the suspect’s capture, that the FBI director would reunite with Kirk “in Valhalla,” a reference to the Norse mythological afterlife for warriors.