President Donald Trump was criticized for his response to the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent over the war in Iran, saying the country "posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
Kent, a former Green Beret and political candidate with ties to right-wing extremists, was confirmed last July in a 52–44 vote to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, where he oversaw efforts to analyze and detect terrorist threats.
In a post on X, he announced he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war, adding:
"Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby. It has been an honor serving under [Trump] and [National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard] and leading the professionals at NCTC."
"May God bless America."
In an accompanying resignation letter, he wrote, in part:
"I support the values and the foreign policies that you campaigned on in 2016, 2020, 2024, which you enacted in your first term. Until June 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation." ...
"Early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran."
"This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to a swift victory. This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war that cost our nation the lives of thousands of our best men and women."
"We cannot make this mistake again."
You can see Kent's post and the letter below.
@joekent16jan19/X
Kent has already been celebrated by other members of the far-right who have criticized the Iran war, particularly former Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and pundit Candace Owens.
When asked for his thoughts on Kent's resignation, Trump replied:
"Well, I read his statement and I always thought he was a nice guy but I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security. I didn't know him well but I thought he seemed like a nice guy but when I read his statement I realized it's a good thing that he's out."
"He said Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat to every country who realized what a threat Iran was. The question was whether or not they wanted to do something about it. Many people, many of the greatest military scholars have been saying for years that presidents should have taken out Iran because they wanted a nuclear weapon."
"If we didn't do the attack or, I'll go a step further, if I didn't terminate the Iran nuclear deal, one of the worst deals ever made by Barack Hussein Obama."
You can hear what Trump said in the video below.
Trump was called out for his remarks.
When Trump nominated Kent a year ago, he praised him as a man who had “hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life.”
Goes to show how little Trump's praise actually means.
@arianagrande/Instagram
@Christo12919382/X
@ColMoeDavis/X
