Joe Kent's wife died in an ISIS bombing. Here's why he quit Team Trump

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After less than a year on the job, the top counterterrorism adviser to President Donald Trump, Joe Kent, stepped down from his position in protest of the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

Kent's announcement of his departure as head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday, March 17, marks the first resignation of a top Trump administration official over the war, which has stretched into its third week with no clear end in sight.

In a letter explaining his decision addressed to Trump and posted to social media, Kent said Iran did not pose a serious threat to the United States in advance of the Feb. 28 joint U.S.-Israel strikes that launched the war.

"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," Kent said in the statement. "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."

Trump responded Tuesday, March 17, saying he thought Kent was a "nice guy," but criticized his counterterrorism chief as "very weak on security." 

"When I read the statement, I realized that it's a good thing that he's out, because he said that Iran was not a threat," Trump said. "Iran was a threat." 

When asked for comment about Kent's letter, Deryn Sousa, a spokesperson for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, told USA TODAY the U.S. military is “courageously” protecting Israel from the Iranian regime

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Here's what to know about Kent in the wake of his resignation.

Who is Joe Kent, former counterterrorism chief?

Kent, whose full name is Joseph, is an Oregon native and graduate of Norwich University, where he studied strategic defense analysis, according to his official biography. He served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, completing 11 combat deployments − many in the Middle East.

Kent enlisted in the Army at 18, starting as an infantryman and then joining the Ranger Regiment and then the Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets. In an entry on a political action committee website associated with one of his runs for Congress, Kent writes he "volunteered at every opportunity to serve in combat" after 9/11.

Kent received six Bronze Stars during his service. After retiring from the Army in 2018, he served as a paramilitary officer in the CIA’s Special Activities Center.

Kent served as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in early 2025 until his confirmation a few months later as director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center.

His confirmation in July 2025 was met with pushback from dozens of civil rights and progressive organizing groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and Western States Center. In a June letter to Sens. John Thune and Chuck Schumer, 48 national, state and local organizations objected to his nomination based on what they classified as a lack of preparation and a history of pro-conspiracy statements about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, among other concerns.

In his March 17 letter to Trump outlining his objections to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, Kent said his resignation was effective immediately. His tenure as the nation's top counterterrorism official lasted less than eight months.