The Significance of Joe Kent’s Resignation for the White House

posted on: Mar 25, 2026

By Jake Harris / Arab America Contributing Writer

Joe Kent, President Trump’s Director of Counterterrorism abruptly resigned last week. Kent cited his belief that the US was involved in the 2026 Iran War primarily for the benefit of Israel. Kent also cited his discontent with the influence of the Israel lobby on American politics. He claimed Iran was “no imminent threat” to the United States. Following his resignation, Kash Patel’s FBI announced an investigation into Kent for “leaking” during his time in office. 

Kent’s Military and Political Career

Kent is a veteran who served as a Green Beret. Green Berets are the Army’s Special Forces. They are some of the most skilled and experienced combat veterans specializing in counterterrorism. His wife, who served in the U.S. Navy was killed by an ISIS suicide bomber in Syria back in 2019. 

Following his military career, Kent entered into politics. He adopted a right-wing populist platform that critics describe as far-right. Joe Kent believes the 2020 election was stolen, he has shared theories that the January 6th Capitol Riots might’ve been perpetrated by members of the government. He has always reiterated his opposition to long-term US involvement in Foreign Wars, adopting one of Trump’s earliest campaign slogans “America First”. In his resignation letter, he made clear that he felt Trump’s campaign messaging that he supported in 2016, 2020, and 2024 was inconsistent with the war in Iran. 

Trump Administration Responds

The administration responded to Kent with strong rebuttals. President Trump said he was “weak on security” despite his long military career. The Anti-Defamation League accused Kent of antisemitism for merely claiming Israel influenced the decision to go to war and that the war is more in their interest than the United States. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt totally dismissed the idea that Trump’s decision was influenced by a foreign government. Condemnation also came from some in the Democratic Party. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) of New Jersey accused Kent of scapegoating Israel, and being “anti-American”. This comes during a time in which some of the pro-Israel Democratic leadership is having a reckoning with the significant pro-Palestinian sentiment among the American left. 

Support for Joe Kent

Despite the uniform condemnation from the White House, some figures on the right have praised Kent. Specifically those on the non-interventionist wing such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. Greene was a devoted Trump loyalist until recently when she came out publicly and criticized the President for his foreign policy, and the alleged cover up of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Kent appeared on Tucker Carlson’s podcast to discuss the fallout, sharing the screen with another figure who has been at the center of the Republican divide between “America First” non-interventionism, and the Neoconservative past in the early years of the 21st century. 

Public Opinion on the Iran War

The war in Iran faces a popularity crisis with polling showing generally that Americans are against the war. A poll conducted by Yahoo/YouGov from March 12th-16th 2026 shows 55 percent of the sample disapproving Trump’s action on Iran, with only 36 percent approving. Of the 1,699 respondents, 55 percent answered that the Trump administration has focused more on foreign affairs than domestic issues. This is compared to only 27 percent to the contrary. The war continues to have support within Trump’s MAGA base, but there are signs of growing discontent with Republicans. There is also a sharp divide in polling on Israel, with Democrats opposing Israel compared to Palestine at a significantly higher rate compared to the time of the October 7th attacks. 

The Kent resignation is symbolic of the divide that exists in American conservatism, and even somewhat in the left. This is a divide that is growing at a time where the crucial midterm elections are less than a year away. Trump’s domestic agenda rests on holding the party together for these elections, should even a small, disgruntled percentage of the GOP vote for anti-Trump candidates a political gridlock could result. This could potentially make the administration a “lame duck” for the final two years. 

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