FBI Director Kash Patel is taking direct aim at China’s growing footprint on American farmland, framing it as both a national security risk and a threat to the U.S. food supply. Patel’s early emphasis on Chinese ownership of land—especially near sensitive sites—signals a broader second-term initiative by the Trump administration to crack down on the Chinese Communist Party’s influence within the United States.
The effort has gained momentum among Republican lawmakers and conservative allies, who argue that CCP-linked land acquisitions jeopardize critical infrastructure and pose a clear national security threat. “FBI Director Kash Patel has made eradicating CCP interference and infiltration in the United States a relentless, uncompromising priority,” Patel advisor Erica Knight told Fox News Digital.
“With his unmatched experience in counterterrorism and intelligence, Patel possesses a profound understanding of the grave threats our nation faces,” Knight said. “His expertise and unwavering resolve make him uniquely equipped to lead the bureau to crush CCP infiltration and safeguard America’s national security.” Patel recently informed lawmakers that the “effective resolution” of the southern border crisis has led adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran to redirect their attention toward the U.S. northern border.
With the administration intensifying its second-term efforts to counter China, President Donald Trump was asked aboard Air Force One on Thursday about the White House’s response to Chinese-owned farmland in the United States. Trump said he is “looking at it all the time,” adding that he has “a very good relationship with China and with the president.” He added: “I have a lot of respect for President Xi.” Trump emphasized that Chinese-owned farmland “has been an issue for years.”
In a February op-ed for Fox News, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell voiced the rising concern among conservatives over Chinese-owned farmland, describing it as part of a “not-so-silent takeover.” He noted further: “While conservative legislators and governors across the country are taking action to stop adversarial nations from buying U.S. farmland, we must recognize that there’s a much broader issue at play here — China’s end goal is not confined to land ownership.”