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FBI Director Kash Patel managed to confuse many, many users on X with a bizarre response to a video featuring Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
A video posted Thursday on the social media platform showed Schiff accusing Patel of being “incompetent,” and “firing all the competent people” before remarking, “How can you respect someone like Patel? ... You can take an internet troll and make him FBI director, but he’s still not gonna be anything more than an internet troll.”
Although Patel could have responded to the video by explaining why he’s not as incompetent as Schiff claimed ― or not responded at all (that’s a thing too) — he decided the best plan of action was a weird combination of being insulting AND cryptic.
And, yes, he responded by posting a watermelon emoji 12 times.
Apparently, Patel’s use of a watermelon was a call back to April, when his fearless leader, Donald Trump, referred to Schiff as “watermelon head.”
During a black-tie event for Republicans, Trump lashed out at Schiff by saying, “He’s got the smallest neck I’ve ever seen — and the biggest head. We call him Watermelon Head.”
The insult may have stuck around in the hallowed halls of MAGAdom, but, frankly, many people on X didn’t understand Patel’s reference. As a result, Grok, the social media platform’s AI bot, kept getting asked to explain Patel’s post.
Watermelon?
I don’t speak FBI. What does this mean?
Some people wondered if Patel was making a reference to Gaza, where the watermelon has become a sign of solidarity with Palestinians.
Watermelon ? As in Gaza ? As in free Palestine.
Remove this man’s passport immediately and sent him back to wherever he came. He’s obviously very antisemitic.
Kash Patel is Hitler
Others quickly recognized Patel was just being a dick.
Adam Schiff correctly criticizes Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel, as "an Internet troll."
So Patel proves it by replying with some watermelon emojis, because MAGA trolls call Schiff "Watermelon Head."
Does any sane person think this is appropriate behavior for an FBI chief? pic.twitter.com/RorgNhQxAH
Not a serious nation. The podcaster turned FBI director covering up for pedophiles and posting watermelons.
— Tony Montana (@9mmScorpion) September 18, 2025Kash Money Patel doing literally nothing here to downplay the allegations.
— Artie Vandelay (@ArtieVandelay1) September 18, 2025This has been quite the week for Patel, who has had his share of weirdly viral moments.
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On Tuesday, he and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) got into a shouting match at a Senate committee hearing over the FBI director’s handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination. Patel also dubiously claimed there is “no credible information” that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked young women to anyone but himself.
He also avoided answering California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s questions about the Trump administration’s lack of transparency over the Epstein files and claimed to be unaware of Dylan Roof, a white supremacist and mass shooter who killed nine Black people at a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015.
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