Trump to Kent: Good riddance, you were weak on security

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

President Donald Trump launched a blistering personal attack on his former counterterrorism director Tuesday, dismissing Joe Kent as “weak on security” hours after the official resigned with an explosive letter accusing Israel of manufacturing the Iran war.

The White House moved swiftly to contain the damage from Kent’s resignation, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issuing a point-by-point rebuttal of his claims before Trump himself weighed in from the Oval Office.

“I read his statement,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. “I always thought he was a nice guy but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.”

The president continued: “I didn’t know him well… But when I read his statement I realised that it’s a good thing that he’s out, because he said Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat, every country realised what a threat Iran was.”

Earlier, Leavitt took to social media to challenge Kent’s central claim that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” at the time the US launched military action.

The press secretary asserted that Trump had “strong and compelling evidence” that Iran was preparing to attack the United States.

“This evidence was compiled from many sources and factors. President Trump would never make the decision to deploy military assets against a foreign adversary in a vacuum,” Leavitt stated.

She added that Iran had been given “every single possible opportunity” to abandon its nuclear ambitions before the president made the determination that “a joint attack with Israel would greatly reduce the risk to American lives that would come from a first strike by the terrorist Iranian regime.”

Kent, a 45-year-old former Special Forces and CIA veteran whose wife was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria, resigned Tuesday as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, declaring he could not support the ongoing war in Iran.

In his resignation letter addressed to Trump, Kent alleged that “high-ranking Israeli officials” and American journalists had deployed a “misinformation campaign” that exaggerated the Iranian threat and deceived the president into abandoning his anti-war principles.

“This was a lie and is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war,” Kent wrote, adding that his late wife Shannon died “in a war manufactured by Israel.”

Kent’s departure marked the most high-profile resignation within the Trump administration since the start of military operations against Iran three weeks ago.

Amid the controversy, Trump suggested the United States may not remain in Iran indefinitely.

Asked whether he has a “day after” plan for Iran, Trump told reporters that if American forces left now it would take “10 years for them to rebuild.”

“But we’re not ready to leave yet. But we will be leaving in the near future, we’ll be leaving in pretty much the very near future,” he said.

The president repeated his assertion that the US has had “great support” from other countries in the Middle East but “essential no support” from Nato.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump posted a lengthy message on Truth Social complaining that “most” Nato allies had told him “they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East.”

“Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance-WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea,” Trump wrote.

He added: “In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”

The posts came after Trump had reportedly requested allied assistance in securing the Strait of Hormuz, though he did not mention that request in his statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already indicated France will not join any taskforce in the Strait of Hormuz until hostilities conclude, a position Trump dismissed by noting Macron “will be out of office soon.”

The president also expressed disappointment with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying the UK leader had been willing to send two aircraft carriers “after we won” when there was no threat for them.

“I think he’s a nice man but I’m disappointed,” Trump concluded.