WASHINGTON — The White House has asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said Tuesday morning during her first press briefing, a statement that has since been carried by ABC News, the Washington Times, Fox News, and the Gateway Pundit.
"We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign," Zacharia told reporters. "She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well."
The request came after President Trump told reporters a day earlier that he was considering firing Guilfoyle, according to a transcript of the briefing released by ABC. Asked about the timing and possible replacements, Zacharia confirmed the administration had already moved, saying the president would take more questions when he departs the White House later Tuesday morning for Alaska.
Guilfoyle announced in a social media post that her time in the post is "coming to an end," though it is not clear from the post whether she resigned or was fired.
"It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the United States of America. God bless President Trump, God bless our incredible diplomats and service members, and God bless the United States of America," Guilfoyle wrote.
Guilfoyle, the former wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., held the ambassador position for nearly a year. Before becoming ambassador to Greece, Fox News noted, Guilfoyle reportedly asked donor Eric Deters to pay off her $100,000 AmEx credit card balance.
Deters — a former lawyer, conservative media personality and Trump donor — alleged that Guilfoyle asked him to pay her $100,000 credit card bill in July 2025, days before her Senate confirmation hearing. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Deters' accusations that Guilfoyle's alleged actions were a quid pro quo. Guilfoyle's attorney disputed the messages' authenticity to the Wall Street Journal but did not provide specifics, according to ABC News.
"These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity," Guilfoyle wrote in response. "I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that" — the statement was cut off in the source provided.
A series of controversies have surrounded Guilfoyle's ambassadorship, including a report earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal that she boasted about private jet trips bankrolled by Greek businessmen, according to ABC News.
Conservative and mainstream outlets alike carried the news Tuesday afternoon. The Washington Times and ABC News both reported the resignation request within minutes of each other shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern. Fox News followed minutes later with the detail about the $100,000 AmEx balance. By 2:55 p.m., the Gateway Pundit had picked up the story, writing that "White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia told reporters during her first press briefing on Tuesday that President Trump has already asked US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign from her post amid a widely reported corruption scandal."
The story quickly moved through other coverage Tuesday. ABC News later published a second report carrying the headline that Guilfoyle "resigns as ambassador to Greece at White House's request." Other outlets reported the same development, including one headline stating "Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigns after allegations of improper conduct," with a subhead noting that she "says she'll 'vigorously defend' herself."
ABC News also produced a video segment in which a reporter asked Zacharia about the timeline for removing Guilfoyle and who might be on the short list to replace her. In the transcript, Zacharia replied: "We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her wealth." It was not clear from the transcript whether the words "wish her wealth" were a transcription of "wish her well," which is how the same remark was rendered in written accounts from ABC News.
The White House has not released additional details about who might succeed Guilfoyle in Athens, and no replacement name has been confirmed.
Next News Network could not independently verify the allegations surrounding Guilfoyle's ambassadorship, including the reported credit card arrangement with Deters and the reported private jet trips.
Our Take
Kimberly Guilfoyle's tenure as ambassador to Greece is ending at the White House's request, and the way this story has moved tells you everything about how quickly a personnel story can become a political problem for an administration that is otherwise setting the agenda. The facts as they stand are narrow: a donor alleged she asked him to pay off a six-figure credit card balance days before her Senate confirmation; her attorney disputed the authenticity of the messages; she denies the allegations and says she will fight for her name. That is the record. It deserves to be reported carefully, and it deserves to be resolved.
But notice what is happening in the coverage. A story that began as a Daily Mail report, per the briefing transcript, has now been picked up by ABC News, Fox News, the Washington Times, and the Gateway Pundit within hours — not because a court has ruled or an inspector general has reported, but because the White House itself confirmed the resignation request. When the administration confirms a story, the story becomes the news, and the outlet that reported it first no longer gets to control the narrative. That is how accountability is supposed to work, and it is notable that the pressure did not come from a partisan source alone. It came from reporting, from a donor's allegations, and from a president who told reporters he was looking at firing her.
The caution here is for conservatives who want to defend the president's personnel decisions and for those who want to use Guilfoyle's troubles to settle scores inside the movement. Neither impulse serves the truth. The ambassador denies the allegations. Her attorney has disputed the evidence. No charges have been filed. What we know is that the White House asked for her resignation, that she says her time is coming to an end, and that the allegations remain just that. If the allegations are false, the president owes her a full and public exoneration, not a quiet exit. If they are true, the president was right to move, and the speed of his decision is a credit to him. Either way, the American people deserve the facts rather than the spin — and they deserve a confirmation process for the next ambassador that asks the questions that this one apparently did not.
