White House Asks Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign as Greece Ambassador After Misconduct Allegations

The White House has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece. The request ends a short posting in Athens that was clouded by a string of misconduct allegations reported by The Wall Street Journal.

New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia made the announcement Tuesday at her first media briefing. “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia said. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”

The reports alleged that Guilfoyle sought money from a Trump donor in exchange for access to administration figures before her Senate confirmation, accepted lavish gifts while serving as ambassador, and brought a lobbyist for a Greek construction company into official meetings, according to CNN.

Former Trump donor Eric Deters told CNN that Guilfoyle sent him a text message asking him to wire her $100,000 to pay off an American Express bill in the days before her confirmation. Deters said she promised to be his “ride or die” in the administration if he did. “No question it was a quid pro quo,” Deters told CNN’s Jake Tapper last week. Deters said he never sent the money.

Lawyers for Guilfoyle denied wrongdoing. They disputed the authenticity of the messages and said Deters owed Guilfoyle money for speeches and consulting work. “Asking a client to pay for work already done is not corruption. It is the opposite of corruption,” her lawyers said in a statement to CNN.

Mounting pressure before the announcement

President Donald Trump said Monday that he was weighing whether to fire Guilfoyle. “We’re looking at it, yeah. We’re not happy,” he told reporters as he left the White House.

The allegations also drew calls for investigation from Democrats in Congress. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asked the State Department’s inspector general to open an inquiry and said Guilfoyle should testify under oath. After Tuesday’s announcement, committee Democrats said resignation would not shield her from accountability.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro said at an Oct. 13 press conference that the Justice Department could investigate the allegation about the credit card bill. The State Department’s Office of the Inspector General is also examining Guilfoyle’s conduct, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Short tenure in Athens

Guilfoyle said Tuesday she will step down. In a statement posted on X, she defended her record and rejected the reports. “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she wrote, according to the New York Post. “My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering.”

The Senate confirmed Guilfoyle as ambassador in September 2025. She was previously a Fox News host and was engaged to Donald Trump Jr. for four years. Before that, she was married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and served as first lady of San Francisco during his term as mayor.

It was not immediately clear whom Trump planned to nominate as her replacement. The ambassador post to Greece requires Senate confirmation.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today, CNN and the New York Post.