Meet Thomas Fugate: 22-year-old ex-gardener and grocery store assistant to lead $18 million terror prevention team
Donald Trump chose Thomas Fugate, age 22, to head a Department of Homeland Security center. Fugate previously worked as a gardener and in a grocery store. He recently graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Fugate has limited experience in the field. He interned at the Heritage Foundation and with Texas representatives.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
US President Donald Trump has reportedly picked 22-year-old ex-gardener Thomas Fugate to lead the Centre for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Fugate was working as a neighbourhood gardener just five years ago and in a grocery store as recently as August 2023, Daily Beast reported.Fugate, who graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio just 12 months ago, is currently heading up the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the DHS.Acccording to the youngster's LinkedIn page, Fugate has almost no experience in this field—and in 2020 was working as a self-employed 'Landscape Business Owner.' According to his LinkedIn, he would 'perform various activities around every department of the store, fulfilling key duties contributing to store operations.'Before becoming a gardener, Fugate worked at an H-E-B supermarket in Austin, Texas, as a "Cross Functional Team Member" while pursuing a degree in politics and law. Since leaving college, he has experienced a rapid ascent in conservative political circles. According to his LinkedIn profile, he served as an 'advance team member' for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.A committed Republican, Fugate also interned at the Heritage Foundation—the organization behind Project 2025—and with Texas Representatives Terry Wilson and Steve Allison.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 senior DHS official told The Daily Beast. 'Due to his success, he has been temporarily given additional leadership responsibilities in the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships office (CP3). This is a credit to his work ethic and success on the job.'Last year, Fugate launched a political-themed Instagram account featuring the motto: 'Men used to do great things. I believe they still can.'His posts include numerous photos from the campaign trail and his time in Washington, D.C. In one video, he appears alongside a range of lesser-known Republican figures, such as disgraced former Congressman Madison Cawthorn, Kennedy Center President Ric Grenell, and MAGA influencer Riley Gaines. He is also seen with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.An older X (formerly Twitter) account under the name Trey Fugate reveals a different side—one that showed an interest in LEGO, Star Wars, and global humanitarian efforts. On that platform, he once urged Texas politicians to 'protect the international affairs budget!' and 'help the global poor, save lives.'That was just two years before he rebranded himself as a MAGA-aligned figure through his thomas4texas Instagram account, announcing: 'Legend has it that Thomas Fugate didn't start the fire 🔥, but that it has always been burning since the world's been turning 🤔. Welcome all to my new account for public service, community involvement, and politics 🇺🇸. Recently, things got to the point where I felt like my main account had become too focused on politics, so I wanted to switch things up!'Across his social media presence, a steady stream of selfies and posed portraits suggest a carefully curated image. His LinkedIn profile—featuring a photo taken in front of the Department of Homeland Security seal and marked by a wryly arched eyebrow—seems to reflect the self-awareness of a young man who believes he's bound for the top.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
14 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump downplays plans to speak with Elon Musk: Hope he does well with Tesla
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has no plans to speak with Elon Musk, signalling the president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he wasn't "thinking about" the Tesla CEO."I hope he does well with Tesla," Trump However, Trump said a review of Musk's extensive contracts with the federal government was in order. "We'll take look at everything," the president said. "It's a lot of money." Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk's electric cars on the White House lawn, a White House official said, speaking on condition of for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump's domestic his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation's $36.2 trillion debt. He replied "exactly" to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticised Congress and Trump had responded by criticising Musk also declared it was time for a new political party in the United States "to represent the 80% in the middle!"People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk's White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close stockTSLA.O rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday's session, when it dropped 14% and lost $150 billion in value, the largest single-day decline in the company's high-profile allies have largely stayed silent during the feud. But one, investor James Fishback, called on Musk to apologise."President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon's behaviour is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing," Fishback said in a the world's richest man, bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash feted Musk at the White House a week ago as he wrapped up his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk cut only about half of 1 per cent of total spending, far short of his brash plans to axe $2 trillion from the federal then, Musk has denounced Trump's tax-cut and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination." His opposition is complicating efforts to pass the bill in Congress where Republicans hold a slim bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives last month and is now before the Senate, where Republicans say they will make further changes. Nonpartisan analysts say the measure would add $2.4 trillion in debt over 10 Speaker Mike Johnson said he has been texting with Musk and hopes the dispute is resolved quickly."I don't argue with him about how to build rockets and I wish he wouldn't argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it," Johnson said on CNBC.'VERY DISAPPOINTED'Trump had initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, but broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was "very disappointed" in who spent nearly $300 million in last year's elections, said Trump would have lost without his support and suggested he should be suggested he would terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses, which include rocket company SpaceX and its satellite unit billionaire then threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Musk later backed off that had been angered when Trump over the weekend revoked his nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman to head the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Two sources with direct knowledge of the dispute said White House personnel director Sergio Gor had helped turn Trump against Isaacman by highlighting his past donations to and Gor had been at odds since the billionaire criticised Gor's pace of hiring at a March cabinet meeting, the two sources said.A White House spokesperson, Steven Cheung, praised Gor's efforts to staff the administration but did not address his relationship with Musk.A prolonged feud could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in next year's midterm elections if Musk withholds financial support or other major Silicon Valley business leaders distance themselves from had already said he planned to curtail his political spending, and on Tuesday he called for "all politicians who betrayed the American people" to be fired next involvement with the Trump administration has provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too InTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Elon Musk#Donald Trump
India Today
14 minutes ago
- India Today
Russian lawmaker says can offer political asylum to Elon Musk amid Trump feud
A senior Russian lawmaker on Friday said that Russia could offer political asylum to tech billionaire Elon Musk amid his ongoing public feud with US President Donald Trump, though the Kremlin has distanced itself from the dispute, saying that 'this is an internal matter of the United States. We are in no way going to interfere in this, or comment on it in any way.'advertisementThe rift between Musk and Trump, who were seen as close allies during and after the 2024 US presidential election, intensified this week, on June 5, as they traded accusations in a huge public spat on social media. The move followed the Tesla and SpaceX founder's harsh criticism of Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill', which Musk claimed would deepen the US national debt.'If he did [need political asylum], of course, Russia could offer it,' Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, told state-run TASS. However, Novikov added that Musk is 'playing a completely different game' and likely wouldn't seek asylum. On the other hand, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday declined to weigh in on the spat when asked for a comment, saying, 'This is a domestic issue of the United States, and we don't intend to interfere.'advertisement'We're confident the US president will handle this situation on his own,' Peskov added. The asylum offer, though largely symbolic, recalls previous cases such as NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russia in 2013, and British blogger Graham Phillips, who also received protection from resigned last week as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial federal agency created to rein in government spending. His departure followed escalating clashes with the White House over fiscal policy and budget split quickly turned public and personal. Musk accused President Trump of reckless spending and claimed that without his $300 million campaign donation and support, Trump would never have won re-election in 2024. In a series of sharp online posts, Musk backed efforts to impeach the president, criticised Trump's import tariffs and warned that the US economy was headed for a recession in the second half of 2025. Trump hit back, accusing Musk of abandoning his duties at DOGE and saying the billionaire 'went crazy.' The president also threatened to revoke all federal contracts and subsidies linked to Musk's fallout has already sent shockwaves through financial markets, with Tesla shares tumbling sharply on Friday and Musk's threat to pull out of a key US space program has heightened tensions further. IN THIS STORY#Russia#United States of America#Donald Trump#Elon Musk
Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
All about Ohio bill seeking to restrict property rights of Green Card holders
Ohio lawmakers last month introduced two Bills seeking to prohibit foreign nationals and certain categories of Green Card holders from buying land near military installations and critical infrastructure. This came amid a larger trend in recent years of Republican-controlled US states moving to restrict the property rights of non-citizens citing concerns over national security and the necessity of controlling 'foreign influence'. A growing trend The Permanent Residency Card, more commonly known as the Green Card, gives holders the right to permanently live and work in the United States. As such, Green Card holders enjoy the same property rights as US citizens. But growing national security and economic concerns have prompted both federal and state lawmakers to scrutinise the ownership of American land by non-citizens. Between January 2023 and July 2024, at least 22 states enacted legislation restricting or regulating the purchase of agricultural land, critical infrastructure, and in some cases, residential or commercial property by foreign nationals, entities, or governments, said Sukanya Raman, country head, India of US-based immigration firm Davies & Associates LLC. Broader in scope The Republican-sponsored House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88 in Ohio propose a 25-mile (roughly 40 km) restriction zone around military bases, power stations, water treatment plants, gas pipelines, and transport facilities. This list is broad enough to 'effectively blanket the entirety of the state of Ohio,' one Republican senator told local media. The Bills are also broader in scope than similar legislation enacted in states like Florida, Texas, Montana, and Utah. These states' laws have targeted designated 'foreign adversary' nations such as China, Iran, Russia, or North Korea, unlike the Ohio Bills which propose restrictions on all Green Card Holders, regardless of their country of origin. That said, provisions in previous drafts of the Bills requiring existing landowners from 'foreign adversary' countries to sell their property within two years have now been dropped. Legal challenge likely The Ohio Bills are still in their early stages, and could change significantly as they are put to vote in the state legislature over the coming months. But if passed in their current, maximalist form, they would restrict land ownership by all non-citizens, including legal permanent residents. This would be unprecedented in the US. To date, no federal law prohibits Indian Green Card holders from purchasing or owning land in the country. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Green Card holders are entitled to due process and equal protection under the law. Any law or policy that discriminates against them based solely on immigration status may face constitutional challenges and be struck down, Raman says.
