White House Asks Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign as U.S. Ambassador to Greece

The White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece on Tuesday after weeks of reports about her conduct. Press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the request during her first briefing.

Zacharia said Guilfoyle had been a wonderful asset to the team and that the administration wished her well. President Donald Trump later told reporters he did not like what he read. He had not spoken with Guilfoyle personally.

Guilfoyle confirmed she would step down in a post on X. She called her time as ambassador the honor of a lifetime and said the allegations against her were false. She wrote that she would vigorously defend her name, her reputation, and her integrity. Her commitment to Trump and the America First movement would not end, she added.

The most detailed claim came from Eric Deters, a Republican donor. He told The Wall Street Journal that Guilfoyle asked him in July 2025, days before her Senate confirmation hearing, to wire $100,000 to pay off her American Express card. Deters provided messages to The New York Times that showed the request. Guilfoyle's attorneys have disputed the account.

Other reports described Guilfoyle accepting gifts and bringing a lobbyist for a Greek construction company into official meetings. The State Department's inspector general had opened a review, according to people familiar with the matter. The White House received her formal resignation later on Tuesday, an official said.

Guilfoyle, 57, is a former Fox News host and was engaged to Donald Trump Jr. until 2024. She was confirmed as ambassador in 2025 after serving as a campaign surrogate. Her departure ends a short tenure in Athens that began amid high expectations from the administration.

The episode arrives as the Trump administration manages several personnel issues. Zacharia's briefing was her first as press secretary. Trump was preparing to travel to Alaska when he addressed the matter on the South Lawn. He described Guilfoyle as doing a good job but said the reports forced the decision.

Greek officials have not commented publicly. The U.S. embassy in Athens has not issued a statement beyond Guilfoyle's own post. The vacancy leaves the mission without a Senate-confirmed ambassador at a moment when the two countries coordinate on energy, defense, and shipping routes in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Deters has said he intends to sue Guilfoyle and her attorneys. The Wall Street Journal first published the messages on 8 October. Subsequent coverage in The New York Times, CNN, and CBS News added detail from the texts and from people who heard Guilfoyle discuss access to administration officials.

Guilfoyle's post on X ran more than 400 words. She thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the appointment. She said she would not allow false accusations to define her decades of public service. The post appeared less than two hours after Zacharia's remarks.

The confirmation hearing in July 2025 had focused on her qualifications and on U.S.-Greece relations. Senators raised few personal questions at the time. The later reports shifted attention to her finances and to the donor contacts that preceded the vote.

Administration officials have not said who will serve as chargé d'affaires. Career diplomats at the embassy will handle day-to-day business. The process of nominating a successor typically takes months. In the interim, the embassy continues to process visas, support American citizens, and manage military cooperation under existing agreements.

The case illustrates the speed with which donor communications can become public. Signal messages and credit-card requests left a trail that outlets obtained within days of each other. Guilfoyle's denial rests on her assertion that the accounts are incomplete or inaccurate. No criminal charges have been filed.

Trump's comment that he did not like what he read was the clearest signal that the reports had crossed a threshold. The administration has removed other officials when media coverage intensified. Guilfoyle's family ties to the president's son had previously shielded her from earlier criticism during the campaign.

The practical effect in Athens is a pause in high-level diplomacy. Meetings that required an ambassador's presence will shift to lower-ranking officers or wait. Energy projects and port security discussions, both active in recent months, continue under standing instructions from Washington.

Guilfoyle's resignation takes effect immediately. She has not announced her next role. Her X post ended with a pledge of continued support for the administration's agenda. The White House has not scheduled a formal farewell or a statement from the president beyond the remarks on the South Lawn.