The FBI Chessboard

President Trump’s inner circle is using the FBI to award supporters and punish opponents.

J. Edgar Hoover Building; Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The spoils system is by no means a new concept in politics. Newly elected presidents  have filled their cabinets with loyal supporters and political allies for decades. However, President Trump’s cabinet has already made many surprising decisions, especially in the FBI.

Trump appointed Kash Patel as the new director of the FBI, and he was sworn in on February 21st. Interestingly, Patel proposed that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) should train FBI agents in physical fitness and self defense. The UFC is a mixed martial arts promotion owned by TKO Group Holdings. Dana White is the CEO and president of the UFC, and was a strong supporter of and large donor to Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. White gave an address during Trump’s victory speech shortly after winning the 2024 election, saying, “Only President Trump could have fought through all those obstacles, all the attacks and still come out the winner.” Trump and White have a long history; Trump allowed the UFC to host fights in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey at a time when the promotion was largely perceived as a blood sport, struggling to secure venues amid national scrutiny. In kind, White donated $1 million to the Trump campaign in 2020.

However, White and the UFC have yet to officially respond to Patel’s proposal. One anonymous Justice Department official said, “It's clearly motivated by the glitz and glamour show, and Trump's friend.” FBI agents currently go through intense physical training regiments and must pass a physical fitness test. Patel’s plan is not without its supporters, however, as former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje said, “I think there’s much more skilled people, but… if he needs someone to go out there and serve some justice, you know, I would love to be a part of that team.” The promotion is home to some of the most skilled fighters in the world, so FBI agents can clearly benefit in the realm of hand to hand combat regardless of political patronage.

It is unclear whether or not Patel’s envisioned partnership with the UFC will become reality, but this deal could bring greater prestige and national attention to the promotion. Additionally, White said that Patel is “dead serious” about getting the deal done in a post fight press conference.

Presidential administrations are keen to reward supporters for their efforts, and understandably so. Trump’s administration follows this trend, but it rewards its supporters in interesting and often surprising ways. Trump has garnered a unique network as a result of his work as a businessman and reality television star. It appears that Patel’s proposal is a way of rewarding White for his support during Trump’s campaign where he was subsequently nominated as the head of the FBI. Regardless of whether it becomes a reality or not, it demonstrates that Trump’s cabinet has an unorthodox way of offering patronage in line with Trump’s “counter-culture” personality.

Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a Trump nominee, took a “jab” at the FBI by requesting a list of all the agents who investigated the January 6th attack on the US Capitol Building. The Trump administration was not allowed to make the list public, however, following a deal made with the Justice Department.

It is understandable to make sure agents are held accountable for possibly egregious partisan bias, but threatening to make the list public puts unwarranted pressure on the agents who might have done nothing wrong. Even if some agents were acting in bad faith, it is unlikely that all 5,000 agents were persecuting Trump. The Trump administration has used the FBI, like many governmental institutions, to reward supporters in unsuspecting ways while punishing those who may have hurt his chances at re-election.