Trump Again Targets Joe Kent, Who Says Aid to Israel Must Be Cut for Iran Peace Deal to Work
President Donald Trump attacked former U.S. counterterrorism chief Joe Kent again yesterday, calling him “low IQ” as he has former supporters Megyn Kelly, Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens.
But Kent did not respond in kind. Instead, he congratulated the president on X for supposedly getting Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which might portend an “historic deal.” As well, Kent said, although Trump stopped Israel from bombing Lebanon further, he must be willing to enforce the restriction.
The former Green Beret has strongly criticized Trump and urged the president not to escalate the war he started with Iran, as he did when he resigned as counterterrorism director, and posted multiple comments about the path to exit the war and create regional stability.
Trump, apparently, didn’t much care for Kent’s sound advice, and called him a “sleazebag.” The remark is a low even for Trump, particularly given Kent’s war record.
One supporter Trump hasn’t attacked is Michael Franzese, the former Mafia chieftain. Franzese recently criticized Trump for posting a meme apparently representing himself as Jesus Christ and the unhinged attack on Carlson, et al.
Trump’s War Against Kent
Trump’s rhetorical war against Kent began when Kent resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent wrote to Trump that “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.”
Trump was deceived into believing that Iran “posed an imminent threat to the United States” and that striking now would ensure “a clear path to victory.”
I always thought he was weak on security. Very weak on security.… It’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat? Iran was a threat; every country realized what a threat Iran was.
Trump said the “greatest military scholars” backed his decision to attack Iran:
When somebody is working with us that says they didn’t think Iran was a threat, we don’t want those people.… They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people. Iran was a tremendous threat.
Israel Must Be Restrained
This week, after peace talks led by Vice President J.D. Vance failed and Trump ordered some 10,000 more troops to the region and the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz, Kent warned that Trump must restrain Israel, a message he repeated three times.
“Upcoming negotiations will fail if we don’t restrain the Israelis & stop giving them access to our decision making,” Kent wrote on April 13:
The Israelis push for zero uranium enrichment because they know it’s a poison pill for Iran & will result in the war continuing.
Iran has committed to not developing or obtaining a nuclear weapon since 2003.
A deal can be reached about uranium enrichment [levels] & monitoring — ending the war & opening the [Strait of Hormuz].
This can only happen if we treat the Israelis like the junior partner & put our interests 1st.
Kent commented over a post by Axios reporter Barak Ravid, a former Israeli military intelligence operative who revealed that the Trump administration was reporting to Netanyahu every day.
Yesterday, Kent delivered a similar message, warning Trump not to fall into an “escalation trap.”
“We can avoid that trap if we are wise enough not to believe our own hype. Bombing Iranian equipment and killing leaders may produce great hype reels, but if the [global war on terror] taught us anything, it is that tactical success does not equal strategic victory,” Kent explained:
To avoid a major disaster, we must first define what is truly vital to our national interests and act accordingly — regardless of optics of the daily news cycle.
We need the Strait of Hormuz open so oil can flow and stability can return to the energy markets and the Gulf region. These are realistic, achievable goals. They can be reached by significantly reducing our military footprint in the region and lifting sanctions on Iran. We can then tout Iran’s agreement not to build a nuclear weapon as a clear win for the media.
The key to avoiding the escalation trap and a disastrous quagmire is restraining Israel by drastically limiting the military aid we provide. Israel cannot sustain this fight without us, and will do everything they can to keep us engaged. We must pursue our own objectives, not theirs.
“Americans are rightly fed up with foreign influence in our government,” he wrote later. “Focus our resources and spend our money on our nation — not someone else’s blood feud thousands of miles away.”
That note appeared over another post from Ravid, who tracked the Democrats who refused to back more military aid to Israel.
Limit Aid to Israel
Last night, Trump responded with his customary ad hominem attack that made him look petty and foolish.
“Who’s dumber, Tucker Carlson or Joe Kent? It’s very interesting!” Trump began:
I met Joe Kent at Dover Air Force Base, along with numerous others who had lost their loved ones in War. I said hello to all of the families. Kent, horribly, lost his wife. Her casket was being brought to Dover, along with the rest, although he married again, quite quickly, in my opinion. In any event, a number of years later, I noticed the same person was running for Congress in Washington State, and lost. I then noticed a couple of years later, he was running again, and lost. While I didn’t know him other than our brief Dover encounter, but feeling sorry for him after the two Election losses, I told my people, “Hire him for the White House. Give him a job, make him feel good, he lost his wife and two Elections.” They did so and, while I rarely saw him, I certainly didn’t expect disloyalty, but that’s what I got. He was really a SLEAZEBAG, and some would say, on top of it all, A LEAKER! I don’t know whether or not that was true, but next time, NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! Kent is a LOSER, just like Tucker, Candace, Megyn, and the rest of them are LOSERS — You’re born that way, LOW IQ, and there’s not a damn thing they’re going to be able to do about it! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Trump calls anyone who disagrees with him “disloyal.” But anyway, after Trump posted multiple times today about Iran’s reopening the Strait of Hormuz, he added this note that he has, apparently, made an attempt to control Israel. He said it will honor the 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon announced yesterday.
“The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear “Dust,” created by our great B2 Bombers — No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” Trump wrote:
This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezboolah [sic] situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank you!
Kent replied with encouragement, reiterating that aid to Israel must be cut.
“It appears that a historic deal is within reach, and it will hold if President Trump is willing to enforce the restrictions he’s placed on Israel,” he wrote:
This post indicates a good start — but it must be followed by actually limiting U.S. military [aid] to Israel.
Other Low-IQ Former Supporters
As for Trump’s other former supporters, they too, he avers, are “low IQ,” “losers,” and “nutjobs” who are not MAGA. They include, again, Kelly, Jones, Owens, and Carlson. The “troublemakers” received an X-lashing last week.
“They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too!” Trump wrote on Truth Social:
Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did! They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some “free” and cheap publicity.
He even attacked Carlson for not finishing college and claimed “he should see a good psychiatrist.”
Trump supporter and former Colombo family capo regime Michael Franzese might be up next. Franzese recently posted a video of his take on Trump.
“Trump went on Truth Social and called Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones low IQ and stupid,” he wrote on X:
I know Tucker personally. He is neither of those things. None of them are. Then Trump posted an image of himself that looked like Jesus Christ — and had to take it down. I’m a Christian. I can’t stay quiet on that. I’m also going to give you my honest take on Iran, Netanyahu, and why Trump desperately needs a real consigliere — not a yes man. The mob got that part right. This isn’t me turning on Trump. This is me calling it like I see it.
