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Is Thomas Fugate qualified to lead a federal counterterrorism program?
- Yes – everyone starts somewhere
- No – national security needs experienced leaders
- Not sure – I need to know more about his background
- I’m just here for the satire site
Thomas Fugate, 22, was named acting director of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), which falls under the US Department of Homeland Security.
Critics say Fugate, who graduated college just last year, has no clear background in national security. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow slammed the appointment on air.
“One year out of college with no evident national security experience whatsoever,” Maddow said. “Before volunteering for the Trump campaign, his LinkedIn page reportedly explains that his work experience includes ‘lawn care work around my neighborhood.’ Also, working part-time as a clerk at an H-E-B supermarket.”
A satirical website mocking Fugate has also gone viral. The site was created by Toby Morton, a former "South Park" writer known for producing parody pages targeting political figures.
“Welcome to ‘My Experience,’” the site reads, “where college clubs, unpaid internships, and strong vibes somehow qualified me to fight terrorism. Nailed it.”
Fugate graduated magna cum laude in 2024 from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a degree in politics and law. He interned at the Heritage Foundation and The Borgen Project. The site jokes that he “bravely sent emails and printed things.”
He previously worked for the National Automatic Merchandising Association, “which is mostly about vending machines, but terrorism and snack logistics are basically the same, so whatevs.”
Fugate served as Secretary General of his college’s Model United Nations Society, which the parody says means “I once yelled ‘Point of order!’ at a sophomore from Kansas.”
The mock bio continues:
“Before this sudden promotion, I was a ‘special assistant’ in DHS’s Immigration & Border Security suboffice, a title so vague it might as well have been ‘guy who holds the clicker during PowerPoints.’ Before that? I was a part-time gardener and grocery store assistant, where I developed key skills like bagging kale and not overwatering government secrets.”
The site contrasts Fugate’s appointment with the recent resignation of William Braniff, “an actual Army veteran with 20 years of national security experience.”
“Braniff walked out. I walked in. And CP3, a program designed to prevent domestic terrorism, is now run by me, a guy whose biggest security achievement to date was resetting my dorm router.”
It closes with a reassurance:
“Terrorism prevention is, like, super serious. And yeah, I get that some people are freaking out because I was literally on a student meal plan last year. But don’t worry, I’ve got this! I binge-watched Jack Ryan twice and played Risk all the way through without flipping the board once. God help us all…”
What Do You Think? Is Thomas Fugate qualified to lead a federal counterterrorism program? Sound off in our poll above.
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