The qualifications of a 22-year-old Trump loyalist leading counterterrorism efforts across the nation has drawn fresh criticism after Iran vowed payback for U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Thomas Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker and Heritage Foundation intern, is leading the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships—a division of the Department of Homeland Security that oversees terrorism prevention, ProPublica reported earlier this month.
A former gardener and grocery store clerk who graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio just 12 months ago, Fugate’s lack of career and counterterrorism experience is now sowing discord online as America braces for Iran’s retaliation.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was among the leading Democratic voices who criticized Trump’s secret Iran attack for putting a target on the backs of Americans abroad and at home.
As our nation girds for possible Iranian terrorist attacks, this is the person Trump put in charge of terrorism prevention.22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk.Never worked a day in counter-terrorism. But he’s a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job. pic.twitter.com/FIlMWFoudZ
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 22, 2025
In a Sunday morning X post Murphy wrote, “As our nation girds for possible Iranian terrorist attacks, this is the person Trump put in charge of terrorism prevention,” sharing a photo of Fugate.
He added, “22 years old. Recent work experience: landscaping/grocery clerk. Never worked a day in counter-terrorism. But he’s a BIG Trump fan. So he got the job.”
As major U.S. cities brace for possible terror attacks in response to the strikes on Iran, just a reminder of who Trump put in charge of terror preventionGod help us all pic.twitter.com/0UgrP6jHNQ
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 22, 2025
The Republicans Against Trump X account added in a post, “As major U.S. cities brace for possible terror attacks in response to the strikes on Iran, just a reminder of who Trump put in charge of terror prevention. God help us all.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised President Trump’s secret overnight attack on Iran’s nuclear capacity as a “massive success” in a Sunday meeting after the president eerily thanked “in particular, God” in an address to the nation on the heels of the attack.
However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled that Trump’s unprecedented attack—which political leaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has ripped as unconstitutional—will have “far-reaching” consequences.
“The warmongering and lawless Administration in Washington is solely and fully responsible for the dangerous consequences and far-reaching implications of its act of aggression,” Araghchi said in a response delivered from the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, Time magazine reported.
He added, “The U.S. military aggression against the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of a UN member state—carried out in collusion with the genocidal Israeli regime—once again laid bare the depth of depravity that governs American foreign policy and revealed the extent of hostility harbored by the U.S. ruling establishment against the peace-seeking and independence-loving people of Iran.”
During his address to the nation, Trump said retaliation from Iran would bring “tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”
He added, “But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for additional comment on Fugate’s role in counterterrorism efforts.
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