WASHINGTON (Realist English). The White House has demanded the resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle amid a series of reports alleging ethical violations. The announcement was made by Katie Zacharia at her first briefing as White House press secretary. “We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to step down. She was a wonderful member of the team, and we wish her all the best,” she said.
What she is accused of
The allegations against Guilfoyle concern both the period before her confirmation and her time in Athens. According to The Wall Street Journal, shortly before her Senate hearings in July 2025, she asked Trump donor Eric Dieters to pay off her American Express credit card debt of $100,000, promising access to senior administration officials in return. Dieters said he refused.
The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle promoted the interests of Greek construction and energy company Aktor Group and allowed its lobbyist Christos Marafatsos to attend closed diplomatic meetings. Marafatsos is a registered lobbyist for Aktor who received $160,000 for building ties with the White House and State Department.
Separately, the publication reported that at a reception in March, Guilfoyle allegedly told guests that the US could “create political change” in European countries if it wanted to, and that Washington was capable of “changing the government” in Greece.
Trump and State Department reaction
President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he is considering the resignation. “Well, we’re looking at it. We’re not happy,” he told reporters. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Athens last week, initially publicly defended Guilfoyle, calling her a “strong ambassador,” but later declined to comment on the allegations, saying he did not know whether they were true.
Investigation
The State Department’s inspector general is reviewing the allegations, according to CNN and AP sources. It is not yet known whether the review has formal status. Democrats in Congress — Gregory Meeks in the House and Jeanne Shaheen in the Senate — have demanded an investigation and for Guilfoyle to testify under oath.
Guilfoyle’s lawyers, David Schwartz and Jesse Binnall, deny any violations, claiming the requested sum was payment for public speeches and appearances made before her nomination as ambassador. They also stated that before each private jet trip, Guilfoyle “requested, received, and followed State Department guidance.”
What this means
Guilfoyle’s resignation is a rare case of a public break between the White House and a longtime political ally. Guilfoyle was Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée for four years and received her appointment in December 2024, shortly after their separation.
Her tenure lasted less than a year. The resignation request signals that even personal closeness to the president’s family does not protect against consequences when a scandal begins to threaten the foreign policy agenda — especially amid the strategic dialogue with Greece that Rubio conducted in Athens on October 7, signing $4 billion in Foreign Military Sales agreements.
It is not yet known who will succeed Guilfoyle and how this will affect US-Greek relations, which the Trump administration is trying to strengthen amid competition with Russia and China in the Eastern Mediterranean.
