The White House has called for the resignation of the US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Gilfoyle, following a series of reports about her actions before and during her tenure. “We have asked Ambassador Gilfoyle to resign. She has been a wonderful asset to the teamand we wish her well”, said the new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, responding to a question from the Daily Mail during her first White House briefing. Gilfoyle’s tenure lasted just under a year and is the shortest tenure of any US ambassador to Greece in the post-war period.
The announcement did not exactly come as a surprise. White House sources had confirmed days earlier that the administration was considering her dismissal, whilst just one day prior, Donald Trump, when asked about the reports, replied bluntly “We’re looking at it; we’re not happy” . In a new statement yesterday, the US President commented that the ambassador “did a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading”.
It is indicative of the case’s scale in the US that a reporter pointed out to the US president that Gilfoyle was “almost a member of his family”, as she had been engaged to his son, Donald Trump Jr.
Trump played down the relationship, saying, “She wasn’t a member of my family; she was dating my son a long time ago”. For her part, Kimberly Gilfoyle posted a statement on her personal social media accounts. “Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime”, she commented, thanking President Trump and Marco Rubio.
She emphasised that during her tenure she had helped to secure “historic agreements”, with the aim of “ensuring that the US remains the indispensable leader in Southeast Europe”. She made it clear that the allegations against her are false and that “I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation and my integrity”.
Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime. 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.
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.
During my tenure, we have helped secure historic agreements to expand American liquefied natural gas exports to Europe, advanced the Vertical Corridor to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, strengthened our defense and security partnership with a critical NATO ally, and expanded opportunities for American businesses and investment throughout the region.
I am especially proud of the role our Embassy has played in strengthening American energy dominance, advancing economic cooperation, and ensuring that the United States remains the indispensable leader in Southeast Europe.
These accomplishments are a testament to President Trump’s bold leadership, Secretary Rubio’s commitment to American diplomacy, and the extraordinary men and women who serve our country every day.
I also want to address the recent allegations against me. These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.
My gratitude and respect for President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain unwavering. I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I will always be a loyal supporter of President Trump and his mission to Make America Great Again.
While my time as Ambassador may be coming to an end, my commitment to President Trump, the America First movement, and the country I love will never end.
It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve the United States of America. My deepest heartfelt appreciation to the people of Greece for their hospitality, partnership, and welcoming me with open arms. God bless President Trump, God bless our incredible diplomats and service members, and God bless the United States of America.
— Kimberly Guilfoyle (@kimguilfoyle) October 13, 2026
The reports
The story broke in late September, when the Wall Street Journal launched a series of reports on her activities, which was written by four experienced journalists specialising in investigative journalism. In the first article, published on 25 September, the newspaper focused on the relationship and collaboration between Kimberly Guilfoyle and the Greek-American businessman and lobbyist Chris Marafatsos, who, according to reports, took part in diplomatic meetings in Balkan countries.
The same report also referred to a dinner at the US Embassy, where the ambassador, in the presence of members of the Greek government and diplomats, had hinted that she could use American influence to the detriment of the government, referring to the collapse of the governing coalition in Romania.
The report’s allegations provoked a reaction from Bucharest, whilst the Greek government denied that any threat had been made. Guilfoyle herself, through her lawyers, responded to the WSJ, disputing the account of what happened at the dinner.
On 8 October, the WSJ followed up, revealing that Guilfoyle had asked a Trump donor for $100,000 to pay off a personal credit card bill ahead of the Senate confirmation hearing for her appointment to Athens.
According to the report, the donor and Republican politician, Eric Deters, described the request as “pay to play”, stating that he had sought her help in gaining access to Donald Trump’s inner circle, government officials, even podcasts and a Trump-supporting… singer. Deters handed over to journalists a large file of messages he had exchanged with Guilfoyle, who disputed their authenticity. According to a report aired yesterday on CBS, however, the White House deemed the messages to be genuine.
Last weekend, the newspaper published a behind-the-scenes account of Gilfoyle’s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Among other things, the WSJ reported on the existence of a recording in which she can be heard describing trips paid for by the shipowner Nikos Tsakos.
According to the report, the ambassador said in the recording: “I see Nikos every day; he adores me”; she said she would be flying with him to Paris for his wife’s fashion show, having spent the festive season together in Gstaad, whilst, according to the same sources, Tsakos covered the cost of her stay at the Four Seasons George V hotel. The trips and parties were also captured in photographs of Guilfoyle and the Tsakos couple posted on Instagram, whilst reports also mentioned other trips, ranging from yacht cruises to private flights to South Korea.
Nikos Tsakos and Kimberly Guilfoyle at the ship owner’s house, with the Acropolis in the background
This information may form the subject of an investigation by the relevant congressional committee, with Democrats’ lawmakers stating yesterday that Guilfoyle’s resignation does not halt the process of scrutinising her conduct and the legality of the gifts she received. US sources note that Nikos Tsakos is a major shareholder in Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN), a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which means that another scrutiny there cannot be ruled out.
Among other things, WSJ mentioned a recording, in which Guilfoyle is heard describing trips paid for by ship owner Nikos Tsakos. According to the report, the ambassador was recorded saying “I see Nikos every day, he adores me”, while she also mentioned that she was going to fly with him to Paris for his wife’s fashion show
Meanwhile, reports on the ambassador’s lifestyle have also been leaked to other media outlets, such as the British Daily Mail, which reported sensationalist stories about expensive renovations to the ambassador’s residence, unduly demanding behaviour towards her staff, lavish meals and champagne.
Through her lawyers, Gilfoyle denied that she had accepted incompatible gifts or that she had sought repayment of personal debts, arguing that Deters owed her money for speeches and consultancy services she had provided prior to her appointment.
The background
According to information obtained by “TA NEA”, Guilfoyle’s replacement has already been selected by the White House and is currently being briefed on the Greek-American relations agenda. Moreover, according to the same sources, the ambassador had no contact with Washington during recent weeks, whilst the relevant processes were underway; these were accelerated, partly under pressure from the realisation that the WSJ possessed information for new articles, following on from its investigation.
Marco Rubio’s visit to Athens, of course, took place in the meantime. During this visit, the Greek side had expressed concerns about whether it was appropriate for Gilfoyle to be present at all meetings, but the US Secretary of State insisted on her presence. Consequently, for the sake of institutional balance, the Greek Ambassador to the US, Antonis Alexandridis, was summoned to Athens at short notice to attend the entire programme as well.
Throughout the visit, Gilfoyle remained constantly by Rubio’s side, a fact which was interpreted as her support for him, coupled with his reluctance to answer relevant questions from journalists. Conversely, the US Secretary of State allegedly found himself in a rather awkward position, as he appeared to be backing her whilst discussions regarding her dismissal were underway. It should be recalled that he stated that ‘our ambassador is a strong ambassador’, whilst the Vice-President, Jay D. Vance, had also spoken out in her favour the previous week.
Given how things have turned out, Athens views the news of her resignation rather positively. Now that Gilfoyle has been exposed and removed from the President’s inner circle, her continued presence would have hampered Greek-American communication as well as the planning of a future visit by Donald Trump to Greece. The priority now is to immediately set in motion the appointment process for a new ambassador, so that there is no gap in US diplomatic representation in our country. Until then, the diplomat Joshua Hack, who serves as chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Athens, will act as head of mission.
The reactions
On a political level, Gilfoyle’s dismissal provoked reactions by the Greek opposition. PASOK, via its relevant sectoral spokesperson Dimitris Mantzos, argued that this development indirectly confirms reports of “a model of transactional diplomacy” and asked whether the Foreign Ministry had ever summoned the ambassador to provide an explanation. SYRIZA noted that Trump himself had to take action, whilst the Greek government chose to downplay the allegations.
The secretary of the Nea Aristera (New Left), Gabriel Sakellaridis, commented that the dismissal constitutes an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the allegations. Hellenic Left Coalition (EL.A.S.), via Haris Tzimitris, described it as a “very serious development” and insisted that the government had not provided a convincing response to the issues that have come to light.
The government, for its part, declined to comment on the developments, referring to them as “internal affairs of other countries”. Similarly, diplomatic sources commented that this is an internal matter for the US administration and are awaiting an official statement from the US.
Alexandros Exarchou, CEO of Atlantic SEE LNG Trade, thanked Kimberly Guilfoyle for her service. In a statement issued yesterday, he “formally acknowledged” and “praised the significant contribution” made by the ambassador to the promotion of the Vertical Corridor, noting that Atlantic SEE supported her initiatives “in a particularly challenging environment, as the Vertical Corridor directly affects entrenched interests and challenges established practices, particularly in South-Eastern Europe”.
The White House called for her resignation following Wall Street Journal’s revelations, which allegedly implicated her in a financial scandal
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