Trump asks Guilfoyle to resign as ambassador to Greece

Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as US ambassador to Greece on 13 October 2026, hours after President Donald Trump asked her to step down. White House press secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters that morning: "We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign." The ouster followed press reports that she accepted improper gifts and offered to use her influence to help a Trump donor with tax and legal affairs if he paid $100,000 to cover a credit card bill.theguardian.com+1

The resignation removes the American ambassador to Athens at a moment when the State Department's inspector general is examining whether she received improper gifts, according to US media reports. The White House acted publicly: Zacharia announced the request at her first briefing. Trump said afterwards, "She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading." Congressional pressure had mounted on both sides of the aisle.

Why the resignation mattered

The central allegation concerns money. Guilfoyle asked Eric Deters, an influential Trump supporter, to pay off $100,000 in personal credit card debt shortly before her Senate confirmation hearing in July 2025. She asked him to send the money by wire so it would not leave a paper trail, the Journal reported, publishing screenshots of messages in which she wrote, "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today."

Deters refused, telling the Journal the payment would have cost him his marriage. Guilfoyle's lawyer disputed the authenticity of the messages and denied wrongdoing. In her own statement on X announcing the resignation, Guilfoyle called the allegations "false" and said, "I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity." She thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The credit card allegation

The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle boasted of luxury trips funded by wealthy Greek businessmen, citing hundreds of messages, emails and other records, including recorded conversations. She flew to the World Economic Forum in Davos aboard a private jet with Alexandros Exarchou, chief executive of Greek construction company Aktor Group, and spent Christmas at the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad with shipping magnate Nikolas Tsakos, who also paid for a luxury Paris hotel stay.

A separate allegation involves a threat to a Greek official. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cited Journal reporting that Guilfoyle told a Greek government minister the United States had brought about the collapse of the Romanian government and could do the same in Greece. Meeks also cited her close relationship with lobbyist Christos Marafatsos and her advocacy for Aktor Group, for which he lobbied.jamaicaobserver.com

Congress pressure mounted fast

On 13 October, Shaheen wrote on X that the reported conduct was unacceptable: "I'm glad that action was taken in this instance, but @SecRubio must provide assurances to the American people that Ambassadors work on behalf of every American and are held to the highest standards." Trump, asked about the allegations on 12 October, had said: "Well, we're looking at it. We're not happy."

The Greek government denied any suggestion hours earlier that Guilfoyle was on her way out. The allegations emerged while Rubio visited Europe, including a stop in Athens, where he declined to comment. Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor and television commentator engaged to Donald Trump Jr. until that relationship ended, was appointed after serving in Trump's Make America Great Again movement.

What happens next

Guilfoyle defended her record in her statement, highlighting efforts to boost US energy exports and strengthen security ties with Greece, and acknowledged her time as ambassador "may be coming to an end." The State Department's inspector general investigation into whether she received improper gifts remains open, and Meeks' request for a separate inquiry into possible legal and ethics violations is with the acting inspector general.