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Trump Bashes Director of National Counterterrorism Joe Kent Following Sudden Resignation — “He Was Weak on Security — It’s a Good Thing That He’s Out Because He Said Iran Was Not a Threat. Iran Was a Threat”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 17, 2026
Trump Bashes Director of National Counterterrorism Joe Kent Following Sudden Resignation — “He Was Weak on Security — It’s a Good Thing That He’s Out Because He Said Iran Was Not a Threat. Iran Was a Threat”

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Joe Kent, the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, following Kent’s sudden resignation on March 17, 2026. During a bilateral meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the White House, Trump responded to a reporter’s question about Kent’s departure by calling him weak on security and stating that his exit was beneficial.

Kent resigned over his opposition to the ongoing U.S. military conflict with Iran. In his resignation letter addressed to Trump, Kent wrote that he could not support the war, asserting that Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States and that the conflict began due to pressure from Israel and its influential American lobby. He praised Trump’s earlier foreign policy approach, including the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the defeat of ISIS, as examples of decisive action without entanglement in prolonged wars.

Trump dismissed Kent’s assessment during the press interaction. “I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security,” Trump said. “But when I read his statement, I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it.”

Trump emphasized Iran’s long-standing threat, pointing to its pursuit of nuclear weapons and referencing his decision to terminate the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama. He argued that without U.S. action, including B-2 bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, a nuclear-armed Iran would have posed a severe risk, potentially leading to broader conflict. Military operations under Operation Epic Fury have targeted Iranian command centers, air defenses, ballistic missile sites, navy vessels, and other infrastructure, significantly degrading the regime’s capabilities.

The resignation highlights internal divisions within the administration over the Iran conflict, which began after assessments that Iran was nearing nuclear breakout capability. Trump maintained that decisive military steps prevented catastrophe, contrasting Kent’s view with widespread recognition among allies of Iran’s dangers, though he expressed frustration over limited NATO support for related efforts in the region.