Longtime MAGA acolyte Joe Kent, Donald Trump’s Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced today that he is resigning his post due to his opposition to Trump’s unpopular war of choice with Iran. Kent’s resignation is the latest and most high-profile example of the fracturing of Trump’s 2024 coalition over his war with Iran.  

Americans are deeply opposed to Trump’s deadly and costly war, which has already killed at least 13 service members and injured at least 200. Nearly 60% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s war, and most say they lack trust in Trump to make the right decisions about the use of force in Iran. 

Meanwhile, Trump has only doubled down and refuses to rule out sending ground troops into Iran, despite nearly 75% of Americans opposing doing so. 

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump dragged the U.S. into another deadly and costly foreign war, and now even his most MAGA allies are turning their backs on him. Trump knows that Americans across the board overwhelmingly disapprove of his war of choice, yet he continues to put U.S. service members at risk while skyrocketing costs for families back home.”

Kent wrote that Trump has “undermined [the] America First Platform” that he campaigned on. The coalition that delivered Trump the presidency in 2024 has fallen apart over the course of the last year, and Trump’s unpopular war of choice is just the latest pain point. 

Former Fox News host and long-time Trump supporter Tucker Carlson called Trump’s attacks on Iran “absolutely disgusting and evil.” Others, including podcaster Joe Rogan, who supported Trump in 2024, denounced Trump’s war, saying, “It just seems so insane. He ran on no more wars: End these stupid, senseless wars. And then we have one that we can’t even clearly define why we did it.” Rogan added that Trump’s supporters feel “betrayed” by Trump’s reckless war.