Thomas Fugate pictured at a Republican rally during Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign
Meet Thomas Fugate, former gardener, supermarket assistant and now, the man reportedly tasked by Donald Trump with tackling US extremism.
At the youthful age of 22, he has just been handed one of the most complex jobs in American national security.
It is the kind of a career jump that raises an eyebrow even under the shock-and-awe tactics within the Trump administration.
The recent graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio is currently heading up the Centre for Prevention Programmes and Partnerships at the Department for Homeland Security (DHS), as first reported by ProPublica.
He landed a position on the president’s campaign in 2024, and was later hired by DHS in February.
Also known as CP3, the division within DHS plays a vital role supporting nationwide efforts to combat terrorism.
After it was established in 2021, it has handed out around $90 million in funding to organisations working to prevent hate-fuelled violence.
CP3 saw its staff reduced by approximately three-quarters during the early months of Trump’s second term in office.
Fugate only recently graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio
It is one of the reasons why Fugate’s appointment as a special assistant in the division is so jaw-dropping.
One counterterrorism researcher who has worked with CP3 officials for years said it sounds ‘like putting the intern in charge’.
They added: ‘Maybe he is a wunderkind. Maybe he is Doogie Howser and has everything at 21 years old, or whatever he is, to lead the office. But that’s not likely the case.’
According to his LinkedIn page – which has been deleted as the story of his promotion gathered heat – he has almost no experience in this field.
Before his promotion, he was working as a neighborhood gardener just five years ago and in a supermarket as recently as August 2023.
Fugate interned at the Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025, and for Texas Representatives Terry Wilson and Steve Allison.
His Instagram account, which has also been made private in the last 48 hours, shows his long-term support for Trump.
A caption of a picture of Fugate snapped at a Trump rally read: ‘There ain’t no party like a Republican Party, and you can quote me on that one.
‘You will truly never meet a more unique, interesting, enthusiastic, and patriotic group of people in one place that at the Republican National Convention, I can tell you that.’
A statement from DHS said about the promotion: ‘Due to his success, he has been temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships office.
‘This is a credit to his work ethic and success on the job.’
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