Reports have emerged that President Donald Trump is weighing the removal of Kimberly Guilfoyle from her post as ambassador to Greece, with multiple accounts of her conduct cited as the basis for that deliberation. A broadcaster cited an anonymous government source as saying that both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have taken issue with the conduct attributed to her.
A decision on next steps was expected by the end of that week, the official noted, with a federal holiday on Monday pushing the timeline back. When a journalist raised the allegations with Trump on Friday, he gave no indication he was familiar with the matter and offered nothing in Guilfoyle's defence, stating that his awareness was limited and that he had only picked up fragments of information about it.
A neighbour described Guilfoyle as consistently pleasant. Separate accounts have raised questions about whether she accepted costly gifts during her time as ambassador and whether access to administration officials was offered in exchange for payments, all before her confirmation was finalised.
Coverage of Guilfoyle's conduct had already begun at the Wall Street Journal by late September. The outlet's initial report noted that she informed attendees at a reception that Washington retained the option to destabilise the Greek administration. According to that account, she also took steps to advance the commercial interests of a Greek construction and energy firm, with its lobbyist gaining entry to closed-door diplomatic discussions.
Text messages cited by the Journal formed the basis of a subsequent report alleging that, ahead of her confirmation hearing, she approached a donor connected to Trump with a request to cover a $100,000 credit card balance, offering him introductions to administration officials as part of the arrangement. Separate accounts pointed to her voicing unhappiness at being left off the guest list for a Greek-themed gathering at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, while also drawing attention to trips taken to France alongside executives from the energy sector.
According to John Deters, a one-time Trump donor, a text message from Guilfoyle requested that he transfer $100,000 to cover an outstanding American Express balance — a communication he said arrived in the period just before her Senate confirmation proceedings. No transfer of funds from Deters took place, as his available assets at that point were insufficient to cover the amount.
Guilfoyle's legal representative told the Wall Street Journal that the authenticity of the messages was disputed on her behalf. Guilfoyle conveyed to administration officials in the days prior that the items in question had not been sent by her, according to reporting from a television news outlet. No public statement from Guilfoyle addressing the reports has been made available.
Legal representation for her maintained that no wrongdoing had taken place, while the US embassy in Athens extended what appeared to be informal backing. Rubio offered a public defence of Guilfoyle once the initial report was published, a broadcast outlet noted. A day earlier, Rubio had spoken positively about the ambassador's work; upon leaving Athens the following morning, he pushed back at reporters, contending that they routinely treat unverified material as if it were established fact. Rubio stated that the approach taken did not align with established practice.
Vice President JD Vance, appearing before reporters on Friday, expressed reluctance to render judgment outside a formal legal process. Vance also stated that he takes a dim view of anyone trading on access to government officials at any level — particularly those in positions of authority — and indicated that he wants the full facts to come forward before drawing conclusions. "And obviously, if there was something bad that happened, then people have to suffer consequences for it," Vance said. No statement from officials confirmed whether a formal inquiry had been opened.
Guilfoyle's background spans television news presenting and prosecutorial work in California's court system. She and Donald Trump Jr. were engaged for four years, a relationship that became part of her public profile.
