FBI Director Kash Patel began referring to himself in the third person during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, mimicking a habit associated with President Trump. Communication experts say this mimicry often backfires, coming across as forced rather than authentic, and could even be seen by Trump as a sign that Patel is seeking too much attention for himself.

“When Patel mimics Trump‘s speech patterns or media strategies, he draws more attention to himself and not in a good way, especially for his relationship with Trump,” says Mark Brockway, assistant teaching professor of political science.

What Patel and others are saying when they speak in the third person is, “I am the leader, I am so important that I have transcended everyone around me, and I am now something bigger,” Brockway says.

“But the Republican Party and Trump‘s federal government can only have one leader,” he says. “So Patel’s use of illeism (referring to oneself in the third person) is dangerous ground; Trump may see it as a signal that Patel is trying to gain too much power and attention for himself at the expense of Trump.”

Read more in the HuffPost article, “Aw, Kash Patel Thinks He Can Pull Off This Trump Trademark.”