President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that Kimberly Guilfoyle is out as U.S. ambassador to Greece, telling reporters gathered at the White House that he was unhappy with what he had read about the allegations against her.
"She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading," Trump said, according to a video transcript posted by @FoxNews. When pressed on what he made of the specific allegations, the president declined to engage. "I didn't think of those allegations," he said.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Guilfoyle resigned after allegations of improper conduct. The White House had asked her to step down, press secretary Katie Zacharia said Tuesday during her debut briefing, according to ABC7 New York. The Wall Street Journal reported that Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor to pay off a one hundred thousand dollar American Express bill, and that she allegedly used political connections to seek financial favors and promote private business interests.
According to text messages released by Trump donor Eric Deters and reported by The Gateway Pundit, Guilfoyle sent a message on July 3, 2025 that read: "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today." The message was reportedly sent ahead of her confirmation hearing to become ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle's attorneys have disputed the characterization of the payment, saying the one hundred thousand dollars was money owed to her for speaking engagements. Her legal team also said her private jet travel was cleared with the State Department.
Trump was asked about Guilfoyle's past engagement to his son, Donald Trump Jr., during the exchange with reporters. "No, she wasn't a member of my family," Trump said. "I guess dated my son a long time ago, but she wasn't now."
"Did you see the people that deal for you personally? What did she say to you?" a reporter asked, according to the @FoxNews transcript. Trump responded: "I didn't speak to her now, but she will not be there. I didn't like what I read."
The @CBSNews transcript of the exchange captured a similar response from the president. "No, she wasn't a member of my family," Trump said. "I guess dated my son a long time ago, but she wasn't now. She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were eating." The transcript appears to contain a transcription artifact in that final phrase.
The @RealAmVoice account posted a video of the exchange with a caption declaring: "TRUMP CONFIRMS KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE IS OUT AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GREECE!" The account quoted Trump saying, "We didn't like what we were reading."
The resignation was first reported by @gatewaypundit, which posted a breaking news alert Tuesday afternoon: "Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns as US Ambassador to Greece." The outlet had reported earlier in the day that Guilfoyle's ambassadorship might be pulled as early as this week, citing a source, and noted that the Associated Press, CNN, and The New York Post had reported over the weekend that President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were considering firing Guilfoyle amid a possible pay-to-play scandal.
Guilfoyle issued a statement confirming her departure and defending her tenure. "Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime," she said. "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."
She continued: "From my first day as Ambassador, I have worked tirelessly to advance President Trump's America First agenda, strengthen our strategic alliance with Greece, and deliver meaningful victories for the American people."
Guilfoyle highlighted several achievements during her tenure, including what she described as historic agreements to expand American liquefied natural gas exports to Europe, the advancement of the Vertical Corridor to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian energy, and the strengthening of defense and security partnerships with a critical NATO ally.
"I am especially proud of the role our Embassy has played in strengthening American energy," she said, though the statement was cut off in the material provided.
Trump addressed the allegations directly after the White House asked Guilfoyle to resign, telling reporters he had not spoken to her before the decision was made. "I didn't speak to her now, but she will not be there," he said in the @FoxNews transcript. "I didn't like what I read."
@CBSNews reported that Trump addressed the allegations after the White House asked her to resign, saying he was unhappy with what he had read. The network quoted Trump saying, "We didn't like what we were reading," and noted that he added he had not spoken to her.
The @AP reported Tuesday that Guilfoyle resigned after allegations of improper conduct but says she will "vigorously defend" herself. Additional coverage from other outlets noted that Guilfoyle said her time as ambassador "may be coming to an end," but her commitment to the president would not.
The sequence of events unfolded quickly Tuesday. The @gatewaypundit posted its breaking news alert of the resignation at 3:36 p.m. Eastern. The @RealAmVoice account followed one minute later with its confirmation that Trump had confirmed the departure, quoting the president's remark about not liking what he was reading. At 3:40 p.m., the @AP reported the resignation. The @FoxNews posted its breaking news alert at 3:44 p.m., quoting Trump saying, "She was doing a good job, but we didn't like what we were reading." At 3:47 p.m., @CBSNews reported Trump's comments, noting he said he had not spoken to Guilfoyle.
@gatewaypundit's reporting indicated that the White House had been considering the move for days. The outlet cited a source saying Monday that Guilfoyle's ambassadorship might be pulled as early as this week, and by Tuesday morning, she had resigned.
Whistleblower allegations involving Guilfoyle's conduct have circulated in multiple outlets, but Next News Network could not independently verify the claims.
The White House press secretary's statement Tuesday marked the first time the administration formally acknowledged asking for Guilfoyle's resignation. "The White House had asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign," Zacharia said during her debut briefing, according to ABC7 New York. The briefing came as the administration faced questions about the allegations and the timeline of events.
Guilfoyle's legal team has maintained that the one hundred thousand dollar payment was for speaking engagements, not a personal favor, and that her travel arrangements were properly cleared. The attorneys have not responded publicly to the specific text messages released by Deters.
Trump's comments to reporters appeared to close the door on any possibility that Guilfoyle might remain in the post. "She will not be there," he said flatly when asked about her future.
Other coverage of the resignation noted that Guilfoyle had been preparing for the possibility of leaving her post. One report indicated she said her time as ambassador "may be coming to an end," but that her commitment to the president would not waiver.
Our Take
The swift resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece, coming after the White House asked her to step down and the president publicly said he "didn't like what we were reading," raises serious questions about the vetting process for key diplomatic posts. Guilfoyle's defenders say the one hundred thousand dollar payment was for legitimate speaking engagements, but the text message released by Eric Deters — "Honey please I need you to get this done for me today" — is not the language of a routine business transaction. It reads like a personal plea. The American people deserve ambassadors who represent the country with integrity, not influence peddlers who use their positions for personal enrichment. President Trump did the right thing by moving quickly, but the episode should never have gotten this far.
