Thomas Fugate: A novice who replaced an army veteran to lead US terror prevention centre

Thomas Fugate, the 22-year-old college graduate, with no previous government leadership or security experience, has been picked up by US President Donald Trump to head the Centre for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, as first reported by ProPublica. Thomas Fugate has been appointed to a leadership role in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, known as CP3, which works to combat terrorism, school shootings and other hate-driven violence. This includes an $18 million grant program intended to help communities battle violent extremism, reports The Independent.

Here are key things you need to know about Thomas Fugate:

-Thomas Fugate, a former gardener and grocery store worker who graduated from college last year, was hired by DHS in February, The Daily Mail reported, citing his LinkedIn profile.

-The University of Texas at San Antonio graduate landed a position on Donald Trump's campaign in 2024 and then he was subsequently hired by DHS.

-A former Heritage Foundation intern and self-described "Trumplican", Fugate's LinkedIn profile does not show experience in counterterrorism or any related security-related fields. He also does not have an impressive internship history.

-On Thomas Fugate's professional page are stints running a gardening and landscaping business as well as experience working as a grocery store associate. In 2020, he was working as a self-employed ‘Landscape Business Owner.’

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-Prior to his work as a gardener—while studying for a degree in politics and law—Fugate worked at an H-E-B supermarket in Austin, Texas, as a ‘Cross Functional Team Member', according to The Daily Beast.

-According to his LinkedIn, he would “perform various activities around every department of the store, fulfilling key duties contributing to store operations.” He has served as an “advance team member” on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to his LinkedIn page.

-Fugate was reportedly hired as a “special assistant” in an immigration office at the DHS in February, according to ProPublica. He then took over CP3 after its previous director quit.

-"Tom Fugate has performed well in his current role as a Confidential Assistant in our Immigration & Border Security suboffice," a DHS official told Daily Mail, adding this is a credit to his work ethic and success on the job.

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-The recent appointment of a University of San Antonio graduate has raised concerns among counterterrorism experts and insiders. “It sounds like putting the intern in charge,” a counterterrorism researcher who has experience working with CP3 told ProPublica. “We’re entering very dangerous territory,” another longtime counterterrorism official said.

-Fulgate took over from Army veteran Bill Braniff, who resigned in March after the Trump administration cut 20 percent of his staff, accoridng to The Independent. Braniff has more than 20 years’ experience in national security.

-Replacing Braniff with Fulgate is “an insult,” a source told ProPublica. Braniff helped with the move “toward evidence-based approaches to terrorism prevention” in a field still dealing with post-9/11 work that was predisposed to stigmatizing Muslims, the source added. “They really started to shift the conversation and shift the public thinking. It was starting to get to the root of the problem,” they said. “Now that’s all gone."