Paolo Zampolli, the longtime Donald Trump ally credited with introducing him to Melania Trump, has been removed as the US President’s special envoy for global partnerships following a prolonged email dispute with a senior State Department official.
Zampolli, a former modelling agent and personal friend of the Trumps, was told on Thursday that his government appointment had been terminated, according to an unnamed US official. He was no longer a government employee.
The move came hours after details emerged of a months-long dispute with Christopher Landau, the Deputy Secretary of State, over the scope of Zampolli’s duties.
In one exchange, Mr Landau ordered him to “immediately stop all work on ANY issues not directly tied to cultural diplomacy”. He also wrote that Zampolli had “no authority to engage in ANY issues of foreign policy outside of cultural diplomacy”.
Mr Landau reportedly accused him of intending to pursue “unauthorized and possibly unlawful ventures in commercial and economic matters”, and said he was “committed to a path of insubordination”. Zampolli has denied any potential illegality.
Zampolli said he was not surprised by his dismissal after the emails became public. He told a report that Mr Landau “has been attacking me from Day 1” and claimed: “Everything I did, he tried to destroy it.”
“It’s out of control what he’s doing, and I serve at the pleasure of the president of the United States of America,” he said.
Zampolli added that Mr Trump was “the only person that can give me this job and can terminate me”, describing himself as “one of the most loyal friends of the president”.
He later appeared to accept the decision, writing on X: “The President is always right.”
Zampolli said Mr Trump had asked him: “Why do you want to work in government when you can close all these deals?”
“Now it is time for the next chapter,” he wrote. “Back to business, building relationships and closing deals.”
He said serving Mr Trump and the United States “has been the greatest honor of my life” and thanked the President and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Zampolli said special envoy appointments lasted for one year and that Mr Trump had extended his for more than six months. “President Trump changed my life once,” he wrote. “He just did it again.”
He was appointed to the State Department role in March 2025. Mr Trump had said Zampolli would “help us advance America’s interests on the global stage”, although his specific responsibilities were not clearly outlined.
Zampolli is widely known within Mr Trump’s circle for introducing the future President to Melania at a New York City party in 1998. He also served on the board of trustees of the Kennedy Centre during Mr Trump’s first presidency.
During his time as envoy, Zampolli posted photographs appearing to show meetings with global leaders, politicians and business executives. He also called on State Department Inspector General Arne Baker to investigate Mr Landau, though it is unclear whether that happened.
Mr Landau subsequently urged him to stop sending “unhinged emails until I receive further directions from the White House on how to proceed”.
