Iran terrorism fears grow after Trump declared war on Iran. The Daily Mail reports the FBI issued a terrorism alert. But there's no need to worry! The Trump administration put a 22-year-old with no national security experience in charge of all U.S. terrorism prevention.
What could go wrong?
Trump Hired 22-Year-Old to Lead U.S. Anti-Terror Efforts
In June 2025, ProPublica broke the story about Thomas Fugate, the "intern" put in charge of America's terrorism prevention. According to ProPublica, Fugate's prior work experience included landscaping and working in a grocery store.
"One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism."
Why would Trump appoint a recent college grad with zero national security experience to run a DHS counterterrorism program. Who in the hell is Thomas Fugate and why is he running an important area of our government that has a $18 million budget?
In the months following ProPublica's story, we still have no answers about why the Trump team chose Fugate. Below is a photo of the man in charge of the DHS counterterrorism efforts.
Call me a downer, but Fugate's lack of experience does not give me confidence.
Maybe Fugate's Boss Can Be a Good Example?
Since Thomas Fugate is young and inexperienced, maybe his supervisor can serve as a good example? Whoops! Fugate works under the Secretary of DHS, Kristi Noem.
Noem and her employee Corey Lewandowski make weekly headlines for their horrible behavior, so it appears "ICE Barbie" cannot mentor young Fugate. In 2025, Noem and AG Pam Bondi were bashed on "Saturday Night Live" for their cartoonishly awful actions. Tina Fey played Noem, while Amy Poehler was outstanding as Bondi.
