White House asks Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign over misconduct reports

The Trump administration removed one of its most visible ambassadors on Tuesday, and did it in public, at a press briefing.

New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, in her first briefing, confirmed that the administration has asked Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, adding that Guilfoyle has been a wonderful asset to the team and that the White House wishes her well. The announcement came a day after President Trump told reporters the situation was under review and that the administration was not happy.

The exit follows a run of Wall Street Journal reports about Guilfoyle's conduct. The reports included private messages in which, the Journal said, she asked Kentucky donor Eric Deters to pay 100,000 dollars toward her American Express bill days before her Senate confirmation hearing in 2025, and accounts of her dealings with Greek officials and of private plane travel. Deters has released messages himself and called her conduct pay to play. Guilfoyle's lawyers dispute the account: they say any money sought was payment for speaking engagements and public appearances given before her nomination, they dispute the authenticity of the messages as presented, and they say her travel followed State Department rules. The State Department inspector general has been examining the claims, according to reports.

Guilfoyle answered on X with a long statement. She called serving as ambassador the honor of a lifetime, pointed to energy and defense agreements with Greece, called the allegations false, and said she will vigorously defend her name, her reputation and her integrity. She said her commitment to President Trump and to the country will never end.

The Senate confirmed Guilfoyle in 2025 by a vote of 51 to 47, and she presented her credentials in Athens that November as the first woman to hold the post. Greece hosts American forces and sits on the energy routes Washington is building to move American gas into Europe, which is why the embassy matters beyond ceremony. Who replaces her, and how fast, is now a live question in Athens and in Washington. The allegations against her remain allegations; no finding against her has been issued.