President Donald Trump is navigating an increasingly fragile moment inside his own administration and the last thing he can afford right now is more internal upheaval. Just weeks after being pressured to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following a contentious congressional hearing, T rump’s team was rocked again by another abrupt shakeup, exposing deeper fractures over his handling of the war in Iran at a time when he’s still trying to rally support from a skeptical public. President Donald Trump shows the world how pissed he was, writing a 500-plus-word response to Bill Maher and other comedians who bashed him and his administration. (Photos by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) That tension spilled into public view this week when National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent — a key ally within Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s orbit — abruptly resigned, citing sharp disagreements with the administration’s rationale for the war. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Kent wrote on X. ‘Disgusting’: Pete Hegseth Follows Trump’s Iran Script — Then Slips In an Outrageous Story That Blows Up Instantly When Someone He Thought Had His Back Exposes Him Kent’s departure sent a jolt through an administration already struggling to present a unified front, and placed fresh scrutiny on Gabbard, who has long been viewed as an uneasy fit inside Trump’s national security circle. That pressure followed her into a pair of high-stakes appearances before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 19, where she was tasked with a delicate balancing act: defend the administration’s intelligence posture without fully owning a war she has historically opposed. Gabbard, once one of the most outspoken critics of U.S. military intervention, avoided directly undercutting Trump during her testimony but her performance reflected the tightrope she’s now walking. At the outset, she reminded lawmakers she was not there to offer her “personal views or opinions,” instead leaning on intelligence assessments that aligned with the administration’s public messaging, according to Politico. But when pressed, she repeatedly sidestepped key questions, including whether the intelligence community agreed that Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the United States. View on Threads She also faced scrutiny over inconsistencies in her own statements. In a written submission ahead of the hearing, Gabbard said earlier U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and that there had been no effort to rebuild it — a claim that appeared to contradict the administration’s justification for renewed military action. On the stand, she softened that language, saying Iran had been attempting to recover its capabilities, prompting Sen. Mark Warner to accuse her of omitting details that conflicted with Trump’s position. Pressed further by lawmakers, Gabbard ultimately deferred to Trump’s authority, stating that the president — not the intelligence community — determines what constitutes an imminent threat. The performance may have avoided an outright break with the White House, but it did little to quiet concerns about where she stands — or how long she can continue threading that needle. By the following day, the internal tension spilled into the open. View on Threads Far-right activist and close Trump ally Laura Loomer took aim at Gabbard on social media, urging Trump to remove her from her post — and explicitly calling on him to deny her “the dignity of a resignation,” echoing the abrupt way Noem was forced out earlier this month. Loomer, without offering evidence, claimed Gabbard’s own staff expects her to step down and accused her of failing to support Trump during her testimony. “This comes after two days of her testimony in front of Congress this week where she never once expressed support for President Trump or his decisions,” Loomer wrote. “Instead, she used her time during the hearings to affirm President Trump’s right to make decisions as President of the United States, making it clear she doesn’t support those decisions,” she added. SCOOP: @TulsiGabbard’s political staff expect that she is about to RESIGN, following the resignation of her colleague @joekent16jan19. This comes after two days of her testimony in front of Congress this week where she never once expressed support for President Trump or his…— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) March 20, 2026 While Gabbard did not explicitly endorse the decision to launch strikes on Iran, she also did not directly oppose it, instead emphasizing that the choice ultimately rests with the president — a position consistent with her testimony. “President Trump should not allow Gabbard the dignity of a resignation, followed by her immediately trashing him on MSDNC, CNN, the View, and Tucker Carlson’s podcast,” Loomer concluded. Loomer’s comments carry weight within Trump’s orbit. Last year, Trump fired six national security staffers following a meeting with Loomer, who accused them of disloyalty, according to The Guardian. And she isn’t the only voice raising questions about Gabbard’s standing. Conservative commentator and former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly also believes Gabbard’s days are numbered. In an interview with News Nation Wednesday, March 19, O’Reilly said she has “lost all credibility” and won’t last “much longer,” the Daily Beast reported. View on Threads “I don’t particularly care about Tulsi Gabbard and whatever she’s doing. I know she has a title there, but I also know she was not involved with the Iranian situation at all. Ratcliffe and his CIA run that show,” the podcaster proclaimed, referring to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. O’Reilly said Gabbard “lost all credibility with Donald Trump” after opposing the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro in a quick military operation last year. The growing criticism underscores a deeper challenge for Trump as the war in Iran continues — not just in maintaining public support, but in keeping his own administration aligned behind a strategy that has already begun to show signs of strain. ‘Lost All Credibility’: Trump Can’t Afford Another Abrupt Exit — But Now an Insider in His Ear Wants Him to Fire a Cabinet Member and Deny Her the Dignity of Stepping Down ...read more read less