Kimberly Guilfoyle is to resign as US ambassador to Greece after the White House asked her to step down, amid allegations that she sought $100,000 from a businessman before her Senate confirmation hearing.
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed the decision at her first briefing on Tuesday, saying: “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
Guilfoyle had been reluctant to leave in recent days, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The White House announcement appeared to leave her with little choice.
She confirmed her plans in a post on X less than two hours after the briefing, while denying the allegations and saying she would “rigorously defend” her name.
“While my time as ambassador may be coming to an end, my commitment to President Trump, the America First movement, and the country I love will never end,” she wrote.
Guilfoyle added: “Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime. I will forever be grateful to President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for entrusting me with the extraordinary privilege of representing the greatest country in the history of the world.”
There was no indication on Tuesday of who might replace her in Athens. President Trump had said on Monday that he was “looking at” firing Guilfoyle because he was “not happy”.
Allegations surrounding Senate confirmation
The move followed claims by businessman Eric Deters that Guilfoyle asked him in July 2025 to transfer $100,000 to her American Express account so the debt would not appear on her financial disclosures while she awaited Senate confirmation.
Deters described the alleged request as “pay to play” and said he had sought Guilfoyle’s help in gaining access to Trump administration officials, including the attorney general and the IRS commissioner.
He said he did not make the payment, telling reporters: “At that moment in time, I didn’t have $100,000 to spare to give to Kimberly Guilfoyle, or I actually would have been a dumbass enough to do it.” He said he had made an “excuse” that his wife would not agree to it.
White House officials were told that text messages between Guilfoyle and Deters were authentic, according to people familiar with the matter. Guilfoyle has denied the allegations.
She appeared at her confirmation hearing in mid-July 2025 and was confirmed several months later, in September.
Guilfoyle has also faced scrutiny over reports that she boasted in January about Greek tycoons paying for luxury travel, and expressed anger after being blocked from a dinner for Eric Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Her former fiancé, Donald Trump Jr, has remained polite but is no longer said to have much contact with her.
