White House Asks Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign as Greece Ambassador
The White House has asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign amid allegations involving financial dealings, treatment of embassy staff, and ties to foreign business interests. Press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the request Tuesday, one day after President Trump said he was considering firing her.
The White House has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to step down as U.S. ambassador to Greece, press secretary Katie Zacharia announced Tuesday during her first briefing to reporters. The request follows mounting allegations involving Guilfoyle's financial dealings, her treatment of embassy staff, and her relationships with foreign business interests.
«We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,» Zacharia said. It remains unclear whether Guilfoyle has submitted an official resignation. When asked for clarification, the White House referred to the press secretary's remarks.
The announcement came one day after President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged he was weighing whether to remove Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. «Well, we're looking at it,» Trump told reporters Monday. «We're not happy.»
Guilfoyle came under scrutiny last week after The Wall Street Journal reported that she asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay off a $100,000 American Express bill shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing in July 2025. According to messages reviewed by the Journal, Guilfoyle urged Deters to wire the money directly to American Express, saying the transaction would not leave a paper trail, while offering to help him gain access to senior Trump administration officials. Deters said he never made the payment.
Guilfoyle's attorney, Jesse Binnall, disputed the authenticity of the messages, saying Guilfoyle had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and «was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events.»
The allegations followed an earlier Journal investigation into Guilfoyle's conduct in Greece, including claims that she promoted the interests of Greek construction and energy company Aktor Group and allowed its registered lobbyist, Christos Marafatsos, to accompany her to private diplomatic meetings with senior officials. The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle suggested at a dinner with Greek officials that the U.S. would undermine their government, citing political developments in Romania. Greece's foreign minister subsequently said there was no need to summon Guilfoyle for an explanation because the country's energy minister denied that any threat had been made.
Separately, the State Department's Office of Inspector General reportedly opened an investigation into allegations involving Guilfoyle's treatment of embassy employees, private travel, acceptance of gifts, and relationships with business interests, according to the Daily Mail. Sources described a hostile workplace in which Guilfoyle allegedly threatened to fire employees. They also claimed she demoted members of her security detail over minor incidents, including an officer who reportedly failed to answer a 4 a.m. request for ice while she was vacationing in Mykonos. The inspector general's office declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. Binnall told the Daily Mail that «any implication of wrongdoing by the Ambassador is unsupported.»
The allegations drew scrutiny from congressional Democrats, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who called for a review of Guilfoyle's conduct. Meeks urged her removal if the allegations were substantiated.
Vice President JD Vance addressed the controversy Friday, cautioning against rushing to judgment while acknowledging that misconduct should carry consequences. «Let's actually see what the facts are. Let's see what the truth is,» Vance told reporters in Ohio. «And obviously, if there was something bad that happened, then people have to suffer consequences for it.»
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited Greece last week and delivered remarks against the backdrop of the Acropolis, initially defended Guilfoyle's performance. «Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here,» Rubio told reporters Wednesday. A day later, Rubio declined to address the allegations directly, challenging reporters over their reliance on unnamed sources. «You guys walk around thinking that because some source told you something, and you reported it, it's the gospel. It's not the gospel,» Rubio told reporters Thursday.
Trump nominated Guilfoyle to the diplomatic post in December 2024. A former California prosecutor and longtime Trump ally, she previously served as a prominent surrogate and fundraiser for the president. Guilfoyle was engaged to Donald Trump Jr. for four years before the couple publicly split in December 2024, the same month Trump nominated her to serve as ambassador to Greece. The president's eldest son married Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in May 2026. Guilfoyle was also previously married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, from 2001 to 2006, when he served as mayor of San Francisco.
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