How a Trump backer's resignation hints at internal turbulence over Iran

As the war in the Middle East continues, US President Donald Trump has found himself managing internal discord closer to home.

His top counterterrorism official, Joe Kent, quit on Tuesday.

It is the latest sign of a growing rift among Republicans over the United States' intervention in Iran.

Here's what to know about the sensational resignation of a man who was once a staunch MAGA supporter.

First, catch me up

Mr Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) announced his resignation on Tuesday, local time.

The NCTC is responsible for coordinating the activities of various national security and intelligence agencies in the US to combat terrorism.

Mr Kent posted his resignation letter on X, saying it had been an honour to serve under Mr Trump, but that he could not "in good conscience" support the war efforts in the Middle East.

"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.

He added that, until recently, Mr Trump "understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America of the precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation".

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he always thought Mr Kent was "weak on security".

He added that if someone in his administration did not believe Iran was an imminent threat, "we don't want those people".

"They're not smart people, or they're not savvy people," he said.

"Iran was a tremendous threat."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "insulting and laughable" that Mr Kent suggested the decision to go to war was "based on the influence of others".

"As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated, he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first," she said.

Who is Joe Kent?

Mr Kent was appointed as director of the NCTC by Mr Trump in 2024.

At the time, the president said he was a man who had "hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire life", referencing Mr Kent's previous military service.

He was considered as much of a loyalist as Mr Trump could have in the position, having remained a staunch supporter through his 2020 election defeat and the January 6 riots.

Before joining the Trump administration, Mr Kent had unsuccessfully run for office twice as a Republican.

As a Green Beret, he saw combat in 11 deployments, before retiring to join the CIA.

His first wife, Shannon Smith, was a Navy cryptologist killed by a suicide bomber while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria in 2019.

After her death, Mr Kent spoke out against US intervention around the world.

Democrats strongly opposed Mr Kent's confirmation as NCTC director in 2024 because of his past ties to far-right figures.

During his 2022 congressional campaign, Mr Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work.

He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.

Early during his first campaign, Mr Kent acknowledged a political consultant set up a call intended to broaden his social media reach, which was joined by far-right influencer Nick Fuentes, who has a history of promoting neo-Nazi and antisemitic ideologies.

Mr Kent later disavowed those ties and said he rejected all "racism and bigotry".

Why is his resignation a big deal?

It's the latest material example of a rift among Republicans.

Mr Kent's resignation follows days of prominent right-wing figures trading barbs online over the Israel-US-Iran war and shows unease extends to at least one senior member of Mr Trump's administration.

Mr Trump campaigned on a promise not to start any wars and often cast himself as a peacetime president when comparing himself to his predecessors.

That has always been a key tenet of his Make America Great Again movement, which prioritises isolationism and a focus on domestic affairs.

In the wake of the Middle East conflict, questions have come from both sides of the aisle over the president's justification for leading strikes on Iran.

For his part, Mr Trump has offered shifting reasons.

A main through line has been his insistence that Iran was "going to attack first", but comments by others in his administration have undercut this messaging.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested the White House believed Israel was determined to strike on its own, leaving the Republican president with a "very difficult decision".

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said such a strike would "precipitate an attack against American forces".

Amid the mixed messaging, Mr Trump's popularity has taken a hit.

He started March with a net approval rating of -13.5, but within a fortnight, that had slid to -13.9.

Mr Trump is now less popular than he was at this point in his first term (-12.5), and less popular than his predecessors Joe Biden (-9.3) and Barack Obama (-7.9) in the same periods.

Approval for military action in the Middle East is similarly low, with this one of the first wars in US history to not have support from the majority of the public from the outset.

About half of Americans disapprove of the US' involvement in Iran, and a further 10 per cent said they did not know where they stood.

Among Republicans, support for military action in Iran is stronger, with a net approval of 77 per cent, but analysis by The Silver Bulletin found this was still four points lower than expected.

Lower still is his approval rating on inflation (36 per cent among the general public and 73 per cent among Republicans specifically) — another metric that could take a hit as the war drives fuel prices higher.

With the midterm races starting to heat up, Democrats hope to seize on the political turbulence with gains to rival the 2018 "blue wave".

"Democrats just have to keep reminding people that he made a promise to bring prices down, and they're still going up," Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of Mr Trump.

"And now they're going to go up even more because prices in gasoline can increase prices of everything else, including at the grocery store."

How has Trump responded to his popularity concerns?

Mr Trump was asked about the potential political impact of the war on Sunday.

"Politically, sure, everybody has concern — I have to do what's right," he said.

"I can't say that, 'Gee, I don't want to have any impact on oil prices for three or four weeks, or two months, and we're going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon.'"

ABC/AP