No one expected former Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle to be a modern-day Averell Harriman, but she blew herself out of one of the world’s most desirable ambassadorial postings in short order.
President Trump asked her to resign as ambassador to Greece on Tuesday after a damning series of reports in the Wall Street Journal.
First, on September 25, the Journal reported Guilfoyle had puzzled regional officials by promoting the Greek construction firm Aktor Group for energy deals in her discussions as ambassador; apparently Aktor Group lobbyist Christos Marafatsos attended so many meetings alongside Guilfoyle that other meeting participants just assumed he was her chief of staff. On October 7, the newspaper published text messages showing Guilfoyle pushed Trump donor Eric Deters to pay her $100,000 American Express bill before her confirmation as ambassador. On October 10, the Journal reported how she boasted at Davos “about her close ties to two Greek tycoons and said they were bankrolling her high-rolling trips around the world.” They cited an audio recording.
The embarrassing stories painted a portrait of a self-interested operator giving and receiving favors to help pay the bills and subsidize a luxury lifestyle (she denies any wrongdoing). Of course, Guilfoyle was not the first underqualified person to be named a U.S. ambassador and won’t be the last, but her resignation Tuesday ends a short, ignoble chapter in U.S. diplomatic history.
Trump announced her nomination back on December 10, 2024, saying that “for many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally. Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States and safeguard its interests abroad.”
He was right about the friend and ally part, but not about her suitability for the job. Guilfoyle traced a particularly stark version of the path to MAGA fame and influence. She was a Democratic prosecutor who, for a time, was married to Gavin Newsom. She joined Fox News and turned right and, when Trump arrived on the scene, became an early advocate on the high-profile program The Five, winning Trump’s favor.
She began dating Don Jr., and they became a hot ticket on the MAGA circuit. They were engaged for a while, but had broken up by the time President Trump selected her for the ambassadorship.
It is disturbing, but not unexpected, that someone who was a trusted insider for so long apparently had such a keen eye to how her access and power could be leveraged for personal advantage. The Republican worry has to be that if Democrats take the House, their investigations will expose similar self-dealing, and not 5,000 miles away in a picturesque European country.