Thomas Fugate Height, Age, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Thomas Fugate

• Thomas Fugate grew up in San Antonio, Texas.

• Since childhood, he has been very passionate about politics.

• Before graduating, he worked as a gardener and an H-E-B grocery clerk in Austin.

• He also ran a small landscaping business.

• His political journey began at the age of 13, with a 2018 Instagram post declaring admiration for Donald Trump. He described himself as “Trumplican”.

• Thomas attended the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he earned a BA in Politics & Law magna cum laude in May 2024.
  

  Thomas Fugate, during his graduation ceremony

• During his university years, he was more interested in his political involvement than in his academic achievements. He held various leadership roles, such as Secretary General of the Model United Nations Society, a mentor in the Pre‑Law Association, and participated in the Bill Archer Fellowship in Washington, D.C.

• After completing his graduation in 2024, he started doing internships in Republican offices within the House of Representatives. Thomas has done a total of nine internships, all five months or less, except one ten-month program through an institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Thomas participated in the Texas Civic Ambassadors program and was active in conservative organisations and think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation.

• In May 2024, he began working on Trump’s re-election campaign. Fugate was among the many staffers dispatched across the country ahead of campaign events. His responsibilities included setting up chairs and check-in tables, testing lighting and sound systems, and unpacking and displaying campaign signage and merchandise.

• He secured an alternate delegate slot for the Republican National Convention, attended Donald Trump‘s 78th birthday, and subsequently joined his campaign’s advance team in Washington, D.C.

• In July 2024, Thomas attended the Republican convention alongside prominent figures associated with the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement linked to President Donald Trump.

• After the Trump victory, in February 2025, he joined the Department of Homeland Security as a “special assistant” in its Immigration & Border Security office.

• In May 2025, he was appointed as the Director of the Centre for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) within the Department of Homeland Security.

• He succeeded Bill Braniff, a scholar of counterterrorism, who resigned after staff cuts at the centre. Under Braniff’s leadership, CP3 had approximately eighty employees and managed funds approx $90 million. However, during Thomas Fugate’s administration, the centre has reduced to just over twenty employees with an annual grant program of $18 million.

• His appointment as the head of CP3 faced significant criticism due to his age and lack of experience in national security. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy in his Twitter post wrote,

22 years. Never a day’s experience fighting terrorism. But he is loyal to Trump, so he got the job. At a time when we fear Iranian attacks, this is who is protecting us.”

• Former officials from the Department of Homeland Security and counterterrorism experts expressed concern that the decision was an attempt by the Trump administration to divert CP3 from its original mission and instead focus on immigration and partisan priorities.

• However, the Department of Homeland Security defended Fugate’s appointment by highlighting that it was due to his strong work ethic and performance.