Most fresh grads land their first job fetching coffee, fumbling through spreadsheets, or mastering the art of professional email. But Thomas Fugate isn’t most fresh grads. At just 22—and barely a year out of college—he runs Homeland Security’s counterterrorism prevention unit, overseeing a $18 million program to combat extremism. His impressive national security experience? Well, let’s see: he interned at the Heritage Foundation, worked at a grocery store, and was in his college’s Model UN club.
Oh, and he proudly identifies as a “Trumplican.” Even though the administration touts his rapid rise as a sign of talent, critics say it is potentially dangerous—in light of recent attacks in California, Colorado, and Washington. Hint: Loyalty matters more than experience.
