Kimberly Guilfoyle has been in the media spotlight in recent days after Republican donor Eric Deters revealed that the ambassador had asked him for a private contribution equivalent to one million kronor (about $95,000). According to Fox News, the disclosure led President Trump to say, "We are not happy."
However, no decision had been made about Guilfoyle's future until Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, took questions on Tuesday.
"We have asked her to resign. She has been a valuable employee," Zacharia said in response to the first substantive question she received during her first meeting with reporters at the White House.
Just an hour later, Guilfoyle's formal resignation was announced.
“Be desperate”
Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and hosted a show on Fox News, was appointed ambassador in December 2024, shortly after her relationship with Trump Jr. ended.
The allegations made by donor Eric Deters were reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) last week and concern private messages in which she asked for $100,000 to cover personal credit card debt. The newspaper viewed the messages, in which she promised that the payment would “not show up anywhere” and would not be visible to the IRS.
Deters never paid her and instead sent the messages to the IRS. Guilfoyle and the entire embassy in Athens are now being investigated by the State Department over possible crimes, according to NBC News.
"She was desperate. She said I could ask for anything in the Trump sphere, no wish could be too big," Deters told NBC.
The disclosure also came just days after Democrats in Congress urged the State Department to investigate Guilfoyle over her very close ties to a lobbyist and because, according to the WSJ, she boasted about her close contacts with wealthy Greek businessmen who paid for luxury trips for her.
Praised Trump
Katie Zacharia's response about Guilfoyle stirred an otherwise cautious press corps, which had until then had to settle for non-news about the president's successes and her role in "developing Trump's fantastic agenda."
The first to ask Zacharia questions - she succeeded Karoline Leavitt, who resigned in August - were the far-right website Breitbart and Fox News. Both outlets chose to praise Trump and Zacharia instead of asking critical questions. Apart from them, only the right-leaning Daily Mail was allowed to speak, and it was in response to its question that Zacharia answered about Guilfoyle. Shortly afterwards, Zacharia ended her press conference after just 14 minutes.
