Trump’s War with Iran Just Started. His Terrorism Prevention Pick? A 22-Year-Old Intern.
"Every American is now a target."
On June 21, 2025, Donald Trump ordered U.S. airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — in what the Pentagon dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer.” The strikes, executed by B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles, marked one of the most aggressive military actions in the Middle East since the Iraq War. Trump declared the mission a “total success.”
Within hours, Iran responded with a threat that should chill every American: “Every American is now a target.” That isn’t hyperbole. It’s a sobering warning from a nation with long-established capabilities in asymmetric warfare, including proxy militias, cyber warfare, and international terror networks. The threat is real—and growing.
And who has Trump entrusted with the job of keeping us safe from this escalating danger?
A 22-year-old recent college graduate whose résumé includes part-time work at a grocery store, a landscaping job, and college Model United Nations.
Thomas C. Fugate III graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2024 with a degree in politics and law. He has no background in intelligence, no counterterrorism training, and no operational experience in government or law enforcement. Yet, just months after joining the Department of Homeland Security as a special assistant in February 2025, he was picked to lead the office tasked with preventing terrorism and radicalization in the United States.
Fugate’s sudden rise wasn’t merit-based; it was loyalty-based. After a brief stint interning for Republican lawmakers and the Heritage Foundation, he worked on Trump’s 2024 campaign, helping with advance logistics. That resume might qualify someone for a junior communications role, not a top national security post in the middle of a global crisis.
Bill Braniff, the decorated Army veteran who previously led the office, resigned earlier this year. In his place, Trump installed Fugate — someone who has never handled classified information or chaired a crisis meeting.
This isn’t about attacking young people — Gen Z is full of capable, driven leaders. This is about competence in government. This is about accountability in national security. Iran has explicitly threatened Americans, and the agency responsible for stopping the next wave of terrorists is now led by someone who, by all objective measures, is unqualified to respond.
We should all be asking: who is actually keeping us safe? (Not Pete Hegseth, that’s for sure.)
In a time of crisis, America cannot afford cosplay national security. We need serious people in serious jobs. Instead, Trump is playing games with American lives. And that is the real emergency.