Response to Trump’s Comments by Joe Kent

Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, addressed comments made by President Donald Trump regarding his late first wife on Thursday. Trump remarked that Kent had remarried “quite quickly” after Shannon was killed in a suicide bombing on January 16, 2019, while she was serving in Manbij, Syria. Kent acknowledged that while what Trump said was unpleasant, his primary concern revolved around the necessity for the U.S. to extricate itself from the Iran conflict before it escalates further.

“It’s obviously personal, and it doesn’t feel good to hear the president speak like that,” Kent noted. “But once again, the stakes are incredibly high. My late wife lost her life in one of those Middle Eastern conflicts that we should have avoided entirely. Many of my friends also paid the ultimate price in these wars. After 9/11, my generation has had to bear the weight of combat deployments throughout our adult lives. Honestly, I’m not too concerned about the president’s comments about me personally because I get it. I made my choices.”

He continued by emphasizing the importance of addressing how the U.S. ended up in this situation and finding a way to de-escalate tensions, mentioning the need to rein in Israeli actions and establish diplomatic relations with Iran for resolution.

Shannon was deployed to Syria in November 2018, working alongside the National Security Agency to target top Islamic State leaders. Tragically, two months later, she and 18 others were killed by a suicide bomber, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claiming responsibility for the attack.

About a year later, Kent met artist Heather Kaiser, and they married in August 2023.

In his resignation letter dated March 17, Kent alleged that Trump was swayed by a “misinformation campaign” conducted by Israeli officials and their U.S. supporters. He shared with Tucker Carlson from the Daily Caller that Israel’s influence in the U.S. indicates that Iran doesn’t pose an immediate threat to Americans.

Additionally, Kent argued that Iran was never close to acquiring a nuclear weapon, referencing a fatwa that has prohibited such development since 2004.

On March 17, President Trump stated he was pleased with Kent’s resignation, noting that he didn’t perceive Iran as a threat. Kent clarified that he was only asserting that Iran wasn’t an immediate danger. Vice President J.D. Vance also remarked that administration officials should respect Trump’s decisions.