A 22-year-old with no formal background in national security is now managing a key domestic terror prevention office—and critics are raising alarms.
According to the Daily Mail, Thomas Fugate, a former gardener and campaign staffer for President Donald Trump, is now running a major counterterrorism unit within the Department of Homeland Security. His appointment has triggered scrutiny, especially amid rising fears of retaliation following U.S. airstrikes in Iran.
Fugate was named special assistant at the DHS's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), an office that oversees efforts to counter domestic terrorism threats through community-based strategies. He was hired in February, just months after graduating from college, and reportedly holds significant influence over how CP3 operates.
Several officials familiar with DHS operations expressed deep concerns about Fugate’s rapid promotion. A former CP3 counterterrorism researcher said the appointment "sounds like putting the intern in charge," pointing to Fugate’s inexperience in the field.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, also blasted the hiring decision, calling attention to Fugate’s previous jobs as a landscaper and grocery clerk. “22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk. Never worked a day in counter-terrorism,” Murphy said in a social media post. “But he’s a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job.”
Online reaction mirrored those worries, with some commentators suggesting the appointment was more about loyalty than expertise. “Trump didn’t appoint Thomas Fugate to protect Americans from terrorism,” tweeted Steven Hassan, CEO of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. “He appointed him to ensure loyalty to him.”
While DHS declined to make Fugate available for comment, a department spokesperson defended the move by attacking prior administrations. According to the spokesperson, CP3 had been “weaponized against political opponents” under President Joe Biden, accusing it of funneling funds to progressive groups.
The spokesperson did not directly address Fugate’s qualifications but implied his appointment was part of an effort to reform the agency’s approach to terrorism prevention. “Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, CP3 was weaponized,” the spokesperson said. “We’re focused now on returning the agency to its core mission.”
Despite the backlash, the Trump administration has not walked back the decision. Photographs of Fugate posing in front of Trump’s campaign plane have resurfaced online, highlighting his previous campaign involvement. Critics say this visual reinforces the idea that loyalty to Trump, not experience, was the deciding factor in his appointment.
The controversy over Fugate’s role comes at a sensitive time for national security. Following President Trump’s approval of stealth bomber strikes targeting three nuclear facilities in Iran, DHS issued an alert about possible terror threats to the U.S. homeland.
The department stated there were “no specific credible threats” but cautioned about the likelihood of low-level cyberattacks and the potential activation of so-called “sleeper cells.” That warning has only intensified concerns about placing an inexperienced official at the helm of an office designed to prevent such threats.
Fugate’s office, CP3, is responsible for collaborating with local and state agencies to build community resilience against radicalization. Given the increased tension with Iran, experts argue this work is more important than ever—and requires steady, informed leadership.
Despite bipartisan criticism, the Trump administration has not signaled any intent to reverse the appointment. Officials have maintained that Fugate’s hiring aligns with their larger effort to reshape the federal bureaucracy and prioritize political alignment.
Supporters of the move argue that prior DHS leadership had allowed the CP3 office to become politicized. They view Fugate’s fresh background as a positive, claiming he brings a clean slate unburdened by ties to the “deep state” or Washington establishment.
Still, Fugate’s name is now at the center of a growing debate over qualifications versus loyalty in national security roles. As Iran tensions escalate, the stakes for DHS—and for Fugate—could not be higher.
