Tipsheet

JD Vance Responds to Joe Kent's Resignation

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 19, 2026 3:30 PM

Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the resignation of former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, making clear that while he had little to say about Kent’s parting criticism of the president's decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, those who serve in the administration must support the president’s decisions, regardless of personal disagreement.

"Now you ask about Joe Kent. Now I know Joe Kent a little bit. I like Joe Kent. You heard the President of the United States say yesterday that he likes Joe Kent too. But it's one thing to have a disagreement of opinion," Vance said. "I know the President very well. He welcomes differences of opinion. He likes it when people express their views about what should happen. He listens to everybody. It's one of the great things I like about him is that whether you're the gardener at Mar-a-Lago or whether you're the Secretary of the State, the President cares about what you think about an issue. He recognizes that everybody has smarts and everybody has wisdom."

"That said, whatever your view is, when the President of the United States makes a decision, it's your job to help make that decision as effective and successful as possible," the vice president said. "And so the President said this yesterday, if you are on the team and you can't help implement the decisions of his administration, he has the right to make those decisions, then it's a good thing for you to resign. And I think that's exactly right.

"It's fine to disagree. But once the President makes a decision, it's up to everybody who serves in his administration to make it as successful as possible," he added. "That's how I do my job. And I think that's how everybody in the administration should do their job too."

He did not choose to weigh in on what many deem to be conspiratorial and downright counterfactual comments in Kent's letter of resignation.