United States President Donald Trump has reacted dismissively to the resignation of Joe Kent as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, describing his departure as “a good thing.”
Speaking on Tuesday at the Oval Office alongside visiting Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump said although Kent appeared “like a pretty nice guy,” he was “weak on security.”
“I didn’t know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy,” Trump told reporters. “It’s a good thing he’s out, because he said that Iran was not a threat.”
The President reiterated his position that Iran remains a global threat, insisting that “every country realized” this but questioning whether others were willing to act on it.
Trump also criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for failing to provide military support in the ongoing Iran conflict, accusing the alliance of not matching the United States’ contributions.
“NATO is making a very foolish mistake… This is a good test,” he said, adding that he had long questioned whether the alliance would come to America’s aid if needed.
In his resignation letter, Kent, a Gold Star veteran with multiple combat deployments, argued that Americans had been misled into believing Iran posed an imminent threat. He further alleged that Israel influenced Washington’s decision to strike Iran, drawing parallels to the U.S. involvement in the Iraq War.
Kent warned against deploying ground troops, stating his opposition to “sending the next generation to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people.”
Reacting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Kent’s remarks as “false claims,” particularly his assertion that Iran posed no immediate danger.
In a post on X, Leavitt defended the administration’s actions, stating that Trump authorized military deployment because Iran sponsors terrorism, has killed Americans, and continued to threaten the United States up to the launch of Operation Epic Fury
