Trump Says His Head Of Counterterrorism Was ‘Weak’ After He Opposes Iran War | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON ― Hours after his head of counterterrorism give up, saying he couldn’t help the struggle in opposition to Iran, President Donald Trump claimed he didn’t actually know him that properly however that he had “always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.”

“I always thought he was a nice guy,” Trump instructed reporters Tuesday, not lengthy after Joe Kent had introduced he had stepped down from operating the National Counterterrorism Center. “I didn’t know him well.”

That sentiment is at odds along with his previous reward of the conspiracy theorist who rose in Trump’s estimation for his embrace of the false declare that the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump and that the FBI had fomented the Jan. 6, 2021, violent assault on the Capitol.

In reality, Trump’s limitless mendacity a couple of stolen election enraged his followers, and he himself requested them to converge on Washington, D.C., on the day of the congressional election certification. It was his personal speech hours earlier than the assault, based on a lot of those that participated, that drove them to violence.

“I think this man has a tremendous future, a very special person,” Trump stated of Kent in 2022 as he endorsed his run for Congress in Washington state.

That yr, Kent defeated the sitting Republican who had earned Trump’s wrath by voting to question Trump for his coup try however then misplaced the final election to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Kent ran once more for that seat in 2024 however misplaced to Perez a second time.

Trump, after successful again the White House in that election, appointed Kent to a prime place within the nationwide safety world. “Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard. Congratulations Joe!” Trump wrote in a Feb. 3, 2025, publish.

That historical past apparently was not related Tuesday for Trump. “I realized that it’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat,” he stated.

Kent had cited his opposition to Trump’s 17-day-old struggle. “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 war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” he wrote in a social media publish that included a picture of his resignation letter.

While Kent has embraced anti-immigrant and white nationalist positions through the years, the speculation that Israel pushed Trump into the struggle was really laid out by Secretary of State Marco Rubio days after the assault started Feb. 28.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman recognized for her longtime opposition to a struggle with Iran and Kent’s supervisor, on Tuesday afternoon launched an announcement that neither addressed Kent’s departure nor the knowledge of Trump’s choice to assault Iran.

“As our commander in chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country,” she wrote. “After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.”

While Trump in his public feedback Tuesday referred to as Kent “a nice guy,” Trump’s aides and supporters have been far much less charitable.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to Kent’s letter with a prolonged, 450-word publish of her personal. “The absurd allegation that President Trump made this decision based on the influence of others, even foreign countries, is both insulting and laughable,” she wrote.

Taylor Budowich, a former prime White House aide, claimed that Kent was about to be fired. “Joe Kent is a crazed egomaniac who was often at the center of national security leaks, while rarely (never?) producing any actual work,” Budowich wrote. “He spent all of his time working to subvert the chain of command and undermine the president of the United States. This isn’t some principled resignation—he just wanted to make a splash before getting canned. What a loser.”

Olivia Troye, as soon as a nationwide safety aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, stated the White House doubtless feels the necessity to harm Kent’s credibility due to his assertion about Iran. “He actually calls out the lack of imminent threat,” she stated.