The Trump administration has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as US ambassador to Greece, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced. Zacharia said the former Fox News host had been asked to resign but gave no further details. Guilfoyle had faced growing scrutiny over reports about her conduct.
Reports said Guilfoyle allegedly asked a Trump donor to pay her large credit card bill in exchange for access to the administration, and that she behaved inappropriately while in Athens. President Donald Trump said she had done a good job, but that she would “not be there” in Greece any longer. “I didn’t like what I read,” he said.
Text messages and audio behind the allegations
Text messages seen by the , which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, appear to show Guilfoyle asking Eric Deters, a long-time Trump ally, for money. In one Signal message, she wrote that a transfer would not be traceable if sent to American Express. In another, sent just days before her US Senate confirmation hearing last July, she wrote: “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today.”
Audio recordings obtained by the Wall Street Journal reportedly include Guilfoyle boasting about her connections to prominent Greek business tycoons. She allegedly said those figures had paid for luxury travel and private jet flights. According to the newspaper, she also told an official in Athens that the United States could topple the Greek government.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers and her public response
Guilfoyle’s lawyers disputed the authenticity of the messages. They said she was seeking money owed to her for speeches and consulting work she carried out for Deters before she became ambassador. Guilfoyle has vowed to defend herself against what she calls “false” claims, and described the ambassadorship as the “honour of a lifetime.”
In a lengthy post on X, Guilfoyle thanked Trump, said she would always be a loyal supporter, and denied any wrongdoing. “I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she wrote. She added that she would not allow false accusations to define her decades of public service.
Guilfoyle, 57, is the former wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. She was first nominated as envoy to Athens in December 2024, a month before Trump returned to the White House. She had also been in a relationship for years with Trump’s son Donald Jr, to whom she became engaged in 2018. That relationship ended in 2024, around the time she was appointed to the Greece post.
Rubio’s reported unease and Trump’s comments
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was pictured alongside Guilfoyle during a trip to Athens last week, had reportedly also become unhappy with the allegations. Her position had grown increasingly fragile over the past week as further claims of improper behaviour emerged.
On Tuesday, Trump said of Guilfoyle, “she, I guess, dated my son a long time ago,” adding that she was not like a family member. He said he did not speak with her before she was asked to resign. “She went to Greece, she was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” Trump said.
Zacharia’s first briefing lasts 14 minutes
Zacharia, a longtime conservative commentator and Trump supporter, took only a handful of questions during her 14-minute briefing. For the first eight minutes, she read out what the administration sees as its policy achievements. She then answered questions on Guilfoyle, Ukraine, her family, and the administration’s approach to non-traditional media outlets.
Zacharia said she viewed her role as working to “amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda.” Trump said he thought she was “very good” in her first White House press briefing.
