Joe Kent facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Kent
Official portrait, 2025
8th Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
In office July 31, 2025 – March 17, 2026
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Christine Abizaid
Succeeded by	Joe Weirsky (acting)
Personal details
Born	Joseph Clay Kent (1980-04-11) April 11, 1980 (age 45) Sweet Home, Oregon, U.S.
Political party	Republican (2021–present)
Spouses	Shannon M. Smith ​ ​ (m. 2014; died 2019)​ Heather Kaiser ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	2
Education	Norwich University (BS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Chief warrant officer
Unit	75th Ranger Regiment Army Special Forces Intelligence Support Activity Special Activities Center
Battles/wars	War on terror Iraq War First Battle of Fallujah

Joseph Clay Kent, born on April 11, 1980, is an American politician. He is a former officer in the United States Army and also worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. From 2025 to 2026, he served as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Mr. Kent is a member of the Republican Party. He ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives for Washington's third district in both 2022 and 2024.

Before his political career, Kent joined the 75th Ranger Regiment and later applied for the United States Army Special Forces. He served in the military for many years, including eleven tours in combat zones, mainly in Iraq. He retired from the Army in 2018. After that, he worked as an officer with the CIA. In January 2019, his first wife, Shannon, passed away during an attack in Manbij, Syria. After this tragic event, he became more involved in public discussions about politics.

In 2022, Joe Kent was the Republican candidate for Washington's third congressional district. He supported Donald Trump during his campaign. He won the Republican primary election, defeating the person who held the seat, Jaime Herrera Beutler. However, he lost the main election to Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a candidate from the Democratic Party. Kent ran for the same position again in 2024 but also lost to Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez.

In February 2025, President Trump nominated Mr. Kent to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. He also worked as the chief of staff for Tulsi Gabbard, who was the director of national intelligence at the time. The United States Senate approved his nomination in July 2025. In March 2026, Mr. Kent resigned from his role. He stated his reasons included disagreements about the U.S. involvement in the conflict in Iran. He also mentioned concerns about the influence of certain groups on American foreign policy.

Who is Joe Kent?

Early Life and Education

Joseph Clay Kent was born on April 11, 1980. He grew up in a cabin in Sweet Home, Oregon. His parents were Roman Catholic and later became lawyers. He spent his childhood in Portland, Oregon.

From a young age, Joe Kent was interested in the military. He even built toy weapons using Lego bricks. He was inspired to join the United States Army after watching news about the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Kent later attended Norwich University. He earned a degree in strategic studies and defense analysis.

A Career in Service

Joe Kent dedicated many years to serving his country in the military and intelligence fields.

Military Experience

At 17, Kent joined the Army with a special agreement to become a Ranger. This allowed him to join the 75th Ranger Regiment. Before the September 11 attacks, he applied to join the United States Army Special Forces. He took a special training course just days before the attacks happened.

By September 2003, after completing his training, Kent was sent to Iraq. There, he participated in the First Battle of Fallujah. He also helped search for important Iraqi officials. He completed eleven combat tours in total, including missions in Yemen and north Africa. He retired from the Army in 2018 as a chief warrant officer.

Shannon Smith, Joe Kent's first wife.

Intelligence Work and Advocacy

After his military career, Joe Kent became an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In December 2014, he married Shannon Smith. She was a cryptologist, a person who studies codes. They met at Fort Belvoir. They had two children, born in 2015 and 2017.

In January 2019, Shannon tragically passed away during an attack in Manbij, Syria. After this sad event, Kent left his government work. He started writing articles for news outlets like CNN and Fox News. In these articles, he shared his thoughts on the War on terror. He also advised the White House and volunteered for groups that supported veterans and Donald Trump.

Running for Congress

Joe Kent decided to enter politics and ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

First Campaign in 2022

On February 18, 2021, Kent announced he would run for Congress. He sought to represent Washington's third congressional district as a Republican. He stated his reasons for running included disagreements with the sitting representative, Jaime Herrera Beutler. She had voted to impeach Donald Trump after the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Kent aligned himself with Donald Trump during his campaign.

By July 2021, he had raised a significant amount of money for his campaign. He also received support from prominent individuals. In September, Donald Trump officially endorsed Kent. His public profile grew thanks to appearances on the Fox News program Tucker Carlson Tonight.

In August, Kent won the primary election, defeating Herrera Beutler. However, he received fewer votes than Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez focused her campaign on issues like schools and jobs. She also gained support from some Republicans. She ultimately defeated Kent in the general election, which was a notable outcome that year. Kent initially did not accept the results but later conceded in December.

Second Campaign in 2024

On January 11, 2023, Joe Kent announced he would run for Washington's third congressional district again. That same year, he married Heather Kaiser. By October 2024, polls suggested the election would be very close between Kent and Gluesenkamp Perez. They debated at a TV studio in Portland, Oregon. Ms. Gluesenkamp Perez won the 2024 election in November, defeating Kent for a second time.

Leading the National Counterterrorism Center

After his congressional campaigns, Joe Kent took on important roles in national security.

Chief of Staff Role

By February 2025, Kent was serving as the acting chief of staff for Tulsi Gabbard. She was the Director of National Intelligence. His role became public in March. The Trump administration asked Kent to request an intelligence report. This report was to look into connections between the government of Venezuela and a group called Tren de Aragua. When the report did not find strong connections, he asked for the analysis to be re-evaluated. This was because the report's findings did not align with a legal action President Trump had taken.

Director of Counterterrorism

On February 3, 2025, Donald Trump nominated Joe Kent to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent appeared before the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on April 9. During this hearing, he discussed his involvement in certain group chats. He also stated his belief that the government played a role in the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol.

Joe Kent is sworn in as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in July 2025.

On July 30, the United States Senate confirmed his appointment with a vote of 52 to 44. In October, news reports mentioned that Kent had accessed certain files from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This caused concern for the FBI's director. According to another report, Kent was less involved in preparing the daily intelligence briefings for the President during his final months in the role.

Joe Kent's resignation letter.

On March 16, 2026, Kent informed President Trump and other officials of his decision to resign. He stepped down as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. His resignation was due to disagreements over President Trump's decision to start the conflict in Iran. The next day, he shared his resignation letter on X. He wrote that the U.S. entered the conflict due to "pressure from certain international groups." Kent also stated that Iran was not an "immediate threat" to the United States.

Joe Kent's Views

Joe Kent holds specific political views on both domestic and international matters.

Views on Domestic Issues

Kent has been described as having far-right political views. He voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Later, his political beliefs shifted towards libertarianism, and he supported Ron Paul. Records show he was registered with the Libertarian Party from 2012 until 2019. He then became a Democrat and voted for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primaries. A spokesperson for Kent described his political ideas as "inclusive populism," which means he rejects discrimination.

Kent has expressed concerns about the fairness of the 2020 presidential election results. After the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol, he stated that Donald Trump had "no control" over the crowd. He also blamed security planning for the seriousness of the events. Kent attended a rally related to the January 6th events. He compared how those involved were treated to how Iraqi citizens were treated during the Iraq War. He later called for the release of security footage from the attack. After a search at Mar-a-Lago, Kent said the event was like "war." He called for reducing funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in response.

In January 2022, Kent led a rally against a claim that the Washington State Board of Health would force citizens to undergo mandatory health measures if they did not get the COVID-19 vaccine. In March, he appeared at an event organized by a group called the Washington State Three Percenters. Kent once supported a federal ban on certain family planning decisions. However, he later changed his position to support states' rights on the matter. By the following month, he had called for investigations into public health officials and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also called for a complete stop to immigration to the United States. In September, Kent described COVID-19 vaccines as "experimental gene therapy." He is not vaccinated against COVID-19. At a rally in September 2021, Kent supported school vouchers and tax deductions for parents based on the number of children they have. In his 2024 campaign, Kent opposed several plans to replace the Interstate Bridge, including new tolls and light rail.

Views on Military Matters

Kent believes in a policy of Non-interventionism, meaning he thinks the U.S. should avoid getting involved in conflicts abroad. He developed this view based on his military experience and the tragic death of his wife. He began to question how the U.S. military was managed during the Iraq War. This was when officials tried to remove members of Saddam Hussein's government.

He defended President Trump's decisions to pardon two Army officers who faced military charges. These officers were Mathew L. Golsteyn and Clint Lorance. He also supported Trump's involvement in the case of Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL involved in a high-profile case.

Views on International Relations

At a conference in April 2022, Kent argued that some political leaders want to start a conflict with Russia. He opposed providing military assistance to Ukraine. He stated that Russian president Vladimir Putin's demands for Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts were "very reasonable." His comments on Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he spoke against supporting Ukraine, were repeated by a Russian state news agency. In September 2023, Kent described the Biden administration's approach as wrong. He argued that the U.S. was fueling a long war that Ukraine could not sustain. Kent specifically stated that this policy uses Ukrainian civilians as "cannon fodder." He described drafted Ukrainian soldiers as being sent to die in a war he believes they cannot win. He has argued that by giving continuous aid, the U.S. prevents a necessary peace deal from happening.

In 2021, after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, Kent became a strong critic of what he called Washington’s failed "nation-building" plans. In March 2026, Kent described U.S.-Israeli actions against Iran as a "manufactured" conflict. He argued these actions did not help American interests. He also believed they risked repeating the "disastrous" mistakes of the Iraq War.

Election Results

2022

2024