Donald Trump took an unprovoked dig at Joe Kent, the former director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center, for remarrying four years after his wife died while serving in the U.S. military in 2019. Kent, who is known for his strong relationship with the president, lost his first wife, Shannon M. Smith, in a suicide bombing in Syria.
Before being appointed counterterrorism director in 2025, Kent had run for Congress twice, in 2022 and 2024. He was defeated both times by Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.
Kent had been a longtime Trump supporter and also had alleged connections with white supremacists. However, in a surprising turn of events, the 45-year-old former Army and CIA officer cut all ties with the Trump administration after strongly criticizing the war with Iran. In his resignation letter, Kent claimed that the war started “due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Trump on Joe Kent: “I’m not a fan of the guy … His wife was killed. He remarried fairly quickly.” pic.twitter.com/oim0YIbpjV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 23, 2026
He made it clear that he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran” and that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.” He went on to say that he supported “the values and foreign policies” Trump promoted in his previous presidential campaigns. However, he strongly believes that a “misinformation campaign” by Israel and the U.S. media led to the conflict. He also blamed Israel for the majority of 21st-century conflicts in the Middle East, including U.S. intervention in Syria that killed his first wife.
In a recent conversation with reporters, Trump commented on his apparent fallout with Joe Kent. However, as many Trump interactions go, the discussion soon took a sharp turn when the president made a personal attack on his former ally.
After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, effective today.
I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this… pic.twitter.com/prtu86DpEr
— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) March 17, 2026
Donald Trump claimed that he is not a “fan of the guy” and that he offered him the official role out of pity. He said, “His wife was killed—he remarried fairly quickly. His wife was killed, and I felt badly for him.”
Trump continued, “He ran for Congress. He lost. He ran for Congress again, and he lost. I said, ‘You know, he’s a nice guy.’ Seemed like a very nice guy. I met him. He was pretty heartbroken, pretty– but I said, ‘You know, it’s a shame he ran for Congress twice; call him up, give him a job in the White House.'”
He then proceeded to claim that Joe Kent took advantage of his kindness and stabbed him in the back. “They gave him a job in the White House, and this is what he does to me. You know, being a nice guy doesn’t pay off too much.”
