'We Asked Her To Resign': Kimberly Guilfoyle Out As Ambassador To Greece
As we noted yesterday, odds of Kimberly Guilfoyle remaining as U.S. Ambassador to Greece were sitting right around 69% amid allegations of improper conduct. Now, the odds are at 97% after newly minted White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia announced that the administration has asked Guilfoyle to resign after reports that President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were "extremely pissed off" by the mounting allegations.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well,” Zacharia said.
Zacharia: We have asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well. https://t.co/U128BdSg27
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2026
The announcement comes one day after Trump himself told reporters the situation was under review: “Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy.” A senior U.S. official had previously told the Associated Press that a decision was likely this week following the Columbus Day holiday, with Rubio described as particularly angered after visiting Athens last week while the stories circulated. The State Department’s inspector general has been examining the claims.
Background
As detailed yesterday, the controversy has been driven by a series of Wall Street Journal reports:
- In late September, Guilfoyle was reported to have told Greek officials during a March dinner (amid discussion of Romania’s government collapse) that “We can do that to any country we want. We can do that here.” The Journal also detailed her promotion of a Greek construction and energy company’s interests (Aktor Group) across the Balkans, including allowing its lobbyist into diplomatic meetings while pushing U.S. LNG sales via the “vertical gas corridor.”
- Days later, the Journal published texts in which Guilfoyle allegedly messaged Trump donor Eric Deters on Signal six days before her July 9, 2025 Senate confirmation hearing, asking him to wire $100,000 to her American Express account in a way that “won’t show up anywhere,” while he sought help securing administration attention on personal matters. Deters has called the request “absolutely a quid pro quo” and labeled her “a grifter.” Her lawyers have disputed the authenticity of the messages and said any money sought related to unpaid pre-nomination speaking fees.
- Subsequent reporting added claims of luxury travel funded by Greek businessmen, including private-jet flights with Aktor CEO Alexandros Exarchou and time with shipping tycoon Nikolas Tsakos. In one recording, Guilfoyle was said to have told an American businessman seeking an invitation to an Eric Trump dinner: “You know, I can deliver the world to you... I’m going to make you a lot of f-ing money.”
Guilfoyle’s legal team (David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall) has denied wrongdoing, asserted compliance with State Department rules on private travel and gifts, and indicated they were evaluating legal remedies related to the claimed speaking-fee debt. Rubio had previously called her a “strong ambassador” even as he declined to address the reports directly.
Zacharia, a former Fox/Newsmax commentator and senior communications adviser to Trump Media/Truth Social, was named Press Secretary on October 9 to succeed Karoline Leavitt (who departed in August). Tuesday’s briefing marked her debut at the podium.
The Polymarket contract on Guilfoyle’s departure by October 31 resolves “Yes” on an official announcement of resignation or removal (or consensus of credible reporting). With the White House now publicly confirming the request, that outcome is effectively locked in.
