--- title: What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle description: The Trump Administration is reportedly considering firing the ambassador to Greece after alleged improper conduct. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-10-12T10:00:10.914Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T10:00:11.142Z article:section: Politics og:title: What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle og:description: The Trump Administration is reportedly considering firing the ambassador to Greece after alleged improper conduct. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ca4456229d9f6b2/6accaa01d2fee577d311e8d8/kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle twitter:description: The Trump Administration is reportedly considering firing the ambassador to Greece after alleged improper conduct. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ca4456229d9f6b2/6accaa01d2fee577d311e8d8/kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00 ---  # What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=7cf3609b-5267-45d6-8bee-0350fb0758e0&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1)  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Oct 12, 2026 10:00 AM UTC  U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks during a dedication ceremony at the chancery of the U.S. Embassy in Athens, on Oct. 7, 2026. U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks during a dedication ceremony at the chancery of the U.S. Embassy in Athens, on Oct. 7, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein—Pool/AFP/Getty Images  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Oct 12, 2026 10:00 AM UTC President [Donald Trump](https://time.com/article/2026/10/01/donald-trump-2026-interview/) is reportedly considering dismissing the U.S. ambassador to Greece, former Fox News host and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. Kimberly Guilfoyle, following reports of alleged misconduct before and during her tenure in Athens. The [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-guilfoyle-364465fc46b023cacf2b70c94cc76ae2) and [CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/11/politics/trump-considering-whether-to-fire-guilfoyle-source-says), citing unnamed sources, said that a decision on Guilfoyle is expected soon. A senior U.S. official told the AP on Sunday that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely assess future action after the Monday U.S. holiday. The controversy emerged in late September, when the _Wall Street Journal_ began publishing a series of reports about Guilfoyle’s questionable activities—including [promoting a Greek construction firm](https://www.wsj.com/articles/kimberly-guilfoyle-mystery-man-energy-5adeb541), bragging about [luxury trips](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/at-davos-kimberly-guilfoyle-boasted-of-private-jet-trips-luxury-stays-d6602442?st=qhrWqn&reflink=article%5FcopyURL%5Fshare) paid for by businessmen, and [asking a Trump donor](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/guilfoyle-amex-donor-100-000-0e02cdc3) to pay a $100,000 credit card bill in exchange for getting the attention of the Trump Administration. The State Department’s inspector general is looking into the allegations, the AP and the _Journal_ reported. TIME has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment, as well as a lawyer for Guilfoyle. The reports surfaced around [Rubio’s multiple-day visit to Europe](https://www.state.gov/secretary-travel/secretary-rubios-travel-to-iceland-greece-and-portugal-october-5-8-2026) last week, when the Secretary of State [boasted about the Trump Administration’s achievements](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks/) and Guilfoyle attended most of his events in Athens. When asked about the reports on Oct. 8, Rubio at first appeared incredulous, [telling journalists](https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-the-press-17/): “I don’t even know if what you’re reporting is true. You guys somehow walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it’s the gospel. It’s not the gospel. It’s not the gospel for me.” As the reports emerged, Trump did not defend Guilfoyle, who was in a relationship with his eldest son between 2018 and 2024\. “I just heard about it—too bad,” the President [told reporters](https://youtu.be/X3kk9Oj5o2E?t=140) on Friday. “I mean, I don’t know. She’s an ambassador. I just heard a little bit about it. I don’t know too much. She was always very nice.” Vice President J.D. Vance reserved comment on the reporting around Guilfoyle, though [he said Thursday](https://youtu.be/7QAu9FOEOv8?t=2287) that he does not like “anybody selling access to another government official, certainly a high-level government official,” and added [the next day](https://youtu.be/MU%5F5NeKb6g8?t=62) that “if there was something bad that happened, then people have to suffer consequences for it.” Here’s what to know. ## Who is Kimberly Guilfoyle? Trump announced he would nominate Guilfoyle to be the U.S. ambassador to Greece in December 2024, just before the start of his second term and amid reports of her split with Trump Jr. She was sworn in in September 2025, becoming the first woman in the role. The 57-year-old Guilfoyle was a former prosecutor in the San Francisco and Los Angeles District Attorney’s Offices and was appointed Assistant District Attorney in San Francisco in 2000\. She gained fame as a co-host of the Fox News’ conservative political talk show _The Five_, which she joined in 2011 and left in 2018. Besides Guilfoyle’s legal and media work, she also [helped raise funds](https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/trump-campaign-press-release-president-trump-raises-over-20-million-through-historic) for Trump’s presidential campaign in 2020\. Guilfoyle was also a witness to the events leading up to the [Jan. 6, 2021](https://time.com/tag/january-6/) U.S. Capitol attack, and [met with the House committee investigating the insurrection](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/kimberly-guilfoyle-meeting-house-jan-6-committee-rcna24884) in 2022. From 2001 to 2006, Guilfoyle was married to [Gavin Newsom](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/gavin-newsom/), then a San Francisco supervisor and later mayor and now California’s governor who’s widely seen as a Democratic presidential contender. ## What has been reported about Guilfoyle? On Sept. 25, the _Journal_ published a report on Guilfoyle promoting the Greek construction firm Aktor Group and having the company’s lobbyist, Christos Marafatsos, attend diplomatic meetings across Balkan states. Guilfoyle reportedly encouraged governments from Bulgaria to Albania to work with Aktor Group. The Sept. 25 report also detailedGuilfoyle’s alleged behavior with Greek government officials. According to the _Journal_ report, during a March dinner, Guilfoyle told attendees, including the country’s energy minister, that the U.S. could influence political changes in other countries, which the minister balked at. Per the _Journal,_ Guilfoyle’s lawyer disputed how the dinner unfolded. The Greek government also denied the threat, [adding](https://media.gov.gr/enimerosi-politikon-syntakton-kai-antapokriton-ksenou-typou-323/): “Such a thing would never be tolerated.” Marafatsos’s lawyer also contested the _Journal_’s reporting. Lawyers for Aktor Group denied allegations that Guilfoyle acted improperly in promoting its business interests. Then, on Oct. 7, the _Journal_ reported, citing Guilfoyle’s text messages ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing in July 2025, that she asked businessman and Trump donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to clear her American Express credit card debt in exchange for access to the Trump Administration. Deters, who did not pay Guilfoyle, told the paper that he had transactions with Guilfoyle dating back to 2020\. The _Journal_ reported that Deters promised Guilfoyle as much $1 million if she succeeded in helping him connect with the Trump Administration, and that she reportedly offered to use her links as Trump Jr.’s former fiancée. Guilfoyle also reportedly asked Deters to stop creating a paper trail of their dealings. Jesse Binnall, Guilfoyle’s lawyer, told the _Journal_ that the ambassador disputes the messages’ authenticity. He also said that Guilfoyle was paid for events before her nomination and that the ambassador “was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events.” Three days later, the _Journal_ published another report, this time on how Guilfoyle flaunted luxury trips financed by several businessmen, through an audio recording that the paper reviewed. She reportedly acknowledged in the recording that she flew to the January 2026 World Economic Forum on a private jet with Aktor Group’s CEO Alexandros Exarchou. Guilfoyle also reportedly said in the recording that she planned to travel with a Greek shipping magnate, who reportedly also paid for her accommodations. Responding to the _Journal_’s latest report, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Athens said that Guilfoyle has “faithfully followed State Department ethics and gift reporting guidelines.” ## How are lawmakers reacting? Guilfoyle and the allegations surrounding her add to other issues hounding the Trump Administration heading into the November midterms, where Republicans are hoping to defend their majorities in Congress. Some Democrats have called for her removal. In a [Sept. 30 letter to Rubio](https://democrats-foreignaffairs.house.gov/%5Fcache/files/4/e/4ef5e56c-7a79-444f-93cd-4f26695e2035/56C07878F664F0992A6E8D64C5EB7D1598E7203DAAE2EE90EE52149DAC495C7E.9-30-2026.-ranking-member-meeks-letter-to-secretary-rubio-on-ambassador-guilfoyle.pdf), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D, N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sought answers about the allegations. Meeks [said in a statement](https://www.washingtonsun.com/us-news/kimberly-guilfoyle-greece-deters-removal-democrats) that the reports about Guilfoyle’s actions were “deeply concerning and suggest potentially corrupt influences on U.S. foreign policy,” adding that if found true, she should be “removed from her position.” Rep. Robert Garcia (D, Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, [wrote to Guilfoyle on Oct. 8](https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2026-10-08garcia%5Fto%5Fambguilfoylereamex.pdf) that her reported conduct with Deters “raises serious public corruption and national security concerns.” Garcia requested she hand over financial and communications records related to the controversy. Even some top Republicans are concerned: GOP Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming called the reports about Guilfoyle “very troubling.” “I’m sure there’s going to be an investigation,” Barrasso told [CBS News Sunday](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-the-nation-full-transcript-10-11-2026/). “I know that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will have oversight and look into that as well. But I think the public has a right to know what is found, and it is quite a bit of concern.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/"},"headline":"What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle","datePublished":"2026-10-12T10:00:10.914Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T10:00:11.142Z","description":"The Trump Administration is reportedly considering firing the ambassador to Greece after alleged improper conduct.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/","keywords":["Trump Administration","Greece","diplomacy","News Desk","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ca4456229d9f6b2/6accaa01d2fee577d311e8d8/kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7ca4456229d9f6b2/6accaa01d2fee577d311e8d8/kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675%2Coffset-x0.00%2Coffset-y0.00&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"kimberly-guilfoyle.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Mark Schiefelbein—Pool/AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/trump-administration/","name":"Trump Administration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/10/12/kimberly-guilfoyle-controversy-explainer-trump-rubio/","name":"What to Know About the Controversy Surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle"}}]}] ```