President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he is considering removing Kimberly Guilfoyle from her post as U.S. ambassador to Greece, after a Trump donor alleged she asked him to wire $100,000 to pay down her personal American Express bill around the time of her Senate confirmation hearing. Speaking to reporters on his way to Ohio, Trump said the administration is looking at the matter and that officials are not happy, according to CBS News, NBC News and the BBC. The comments mark a sharp shift from Friday, when the president said he had only heard a little about the allegations. Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., has denied wrongdoing through her lawyers, who say the money was owed for speaking and consulting work. The episode has handed Democrats a fresh line of attack ahead of the midterms and has placed the State Department's internal watchdog at the center of a politically charged review.

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The controversy centers on a set of text messages that the Wall Street Journal first reported and that the BBC says it has seen. The messages appear to show Guilfoyle asking Eric Deters, a long-time Trump ally, to send money to cover a personal credit card balance. In one Signal message, she wrote that a wire to American Express would not show up anywhere. In another, dated just days before her Senate confirmation hearing last July, she pressed him to get it done that day. Deters never sent the money, and he later told CBS News he had no doubt the request amounted to pay-to-play. He also said he simply did not have $100,000 to spare at the time.

Guilfoyle's legal team has pushed back hard. In a two-page statement on 12 October, her lawyers disputed the authenticity of the messages and argued that Deters owed her roughly $150,000 for speeches and consulting work she performed for him long before she became ambassador. Their position is that asking a client to pay for work already done is not corruption but the opposite of it. The dispute over whether the messages are genuine, and over what the underlying payments were for, is now central to the questions surrounding her tenure.

The reporting has widened beyond the money request. The Journal also obtained audio recordings in which Guilfoyle is said to boast of her connections to prominent Greek business tycoons who she claimed bankrolled luxury travel and private jet flights. Separately, she reportedly told an official in Athens that the United States could topple the Greek government, a remark that would be extraordinary for any ambassador and has drawn particular scrutiny given her role representing Washington in a NATO ally's capital.

White House officials were told that the text messages between Guilfoyle and Deters were authentic, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News last week. Some Trump aides expressed displeasure about her actions, those sources said. Guilfoyle is aware that the president is debating her future, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News, and she has been consulting her lawyer and asking administration aides for advice.

Why It Matters

The stakes extend well beyond one ambassadorship. An American envoy in Athens is a frontline diplomatic post in a region where the United States balances NATO alliance management, energy politics and competition with Russia and China. A public rupture between the White House and its own ambassador, unfolding through leaked texts and audio, complicates that mission and invites questions from allied governments about who speaks for Washington.

The story also lands at a moment when the administration's internal vetting and personnel decisions are under a microscope. Guilfoyle was appointed to the Athens post in December 2024, a month before Trump returned to the White House. At the time, the president described her experience and leadership in law, media and politics, along with what he called her sharp intellect, as making her supremely qualified to represent the country abroad. That endorsement is now being revisited by critics who argue the appointment reflected loyalty and celebrity more than diplomatic preparation.

For the State Department, the inspector general's investigation creates its own pressures. The office is examining both Guilfoyle and the U.S. Embassy in Greece, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke to NBC News. An inspector general's findings can carry weight with Congress, which oversees the department's budget and confirmations, and can shape whether an ambassador retains the confidence of the secretary of state.

Political Context

Democrats in the Senate and House foreign affairs committees have been calling on the State Department to investigate Guilfoyle's conduct in Greece. The Hill reported that scandals rocking Trump's orbit are taking center stage ahead of the midterms, with Democrats looking for fresh ways to tie Republican opponents to the president. The Guilfoyle matter fits that strategy: it combines an ethics allegation, a donor relationship and a high-profile appointee with a recognizable name.

The timing is awkward for the White House in another way. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially defended Guilfoyle, but both were reportedly angered by the allegations, particularly after she was pictured alongside Rubio at several events during a trip to Athens last week. That juxtaposition, a secretary of state standing beside an ambassador under investigation, is exactly the kind of image that fuels opposition messaging and uncomfortable questions from reporters.

Guilfoyle's biography adds to the political texture. A former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles, she joined Fox News in 2006 and left broadcasting in 2018 to join the Trump campaign. She is also the ex-wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and the former fiancee of Donald Trump Jr. Those connections make her a familiar figure to both political bases and ensure that any development in the case travels quickly across partisan media.

What Officials and Groups Are Saying

The president's public posture has moved in stages. On Friday, he told reporters he had just heard a little about the matter and did not know too much, while adding that she had always been very nice. By Monday, asked directly whether he was weighing her dismissal, he said the administration is looking at it and is not happy. That progression, from limited awareness to active consideration of a firing, is the clearest signal yet that the White House is treating the allegations as a live problem rather than a passing story.

Guilfoyle's lawyers have framed the payments as legitimate compensation for work performed before her government service and have challenged the authenticity of the messages. An attorney for Guilfoyle did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's Monday remarks, NBC News reported. Deters, for his part, has told CBS News that he has no doubt the request was pay-to-play and has provided screenshots of his texts with Guilfoyle, including one in which she appeared to ask him to wire money.

Congressional Democrats have pressed for scrutiny through the foreign affairs committees in both chambers. The State Department's inspector general has opened its review. The White House has not announced a formal decision on Guilfoyle's employment, and no timeline for one has been made public.

Timeline

  • December 2024: Guilfoyle is appointed U.S. ambassador to Greece, a month before Trump returns to the White House.
  • July 2025: Guilfoyle appears before the Senate for her confirmation hearing; one disputed message is dated days before that hearing.
  • 12 October 2026: Guilfoyle's lawyers issue a two-page statement disputing the authenticity of the messages and saying Deters owed her about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work.
  • Week of 12 October 2026: The Wall Street Journal reports on the alleged $100,000 request and on audio recordings in which Guilfoyle is said to boast of Greek tycoon connections; the State Department's inspector general opens an investigation into Guilfoyle and the U.S. Embassy in Greece, per NBC News.
  • Friday, 9 October 2026: Trump tells reporters he has only heard a little about the allegations and does not know too much.
  • Monday, 12 October 2026: Trump says the administration is looking at firing Guilfoyle and is not happy, as reported by CBS News, NBC News, the BBC and the Washington Post.

What Is Not Yet Known

Several core questions remain unresolved. The inspector general's findings have not been released, and it is unclear how long the review will take or whether it will be made public. The authenticity of the text messages is contested, and no independent forensic confirmation has been reported. The White House has not said what standard it is applying in deciding whether to remove an ambassador, nor whether a replacement is being considered. And it is not yet clear whether the Senate, which confirmed Guilfoyle, would play any role in a transition at the Athens post.

It is also unclear how the episode will affect the broader midterm environment. The Hill's reporting suggests Democrats see the cluster of administration scandals as a way to keep Republican candidates on the defensive, but the electoral impact of any single controversy is difficult to measure this far out. What is clear is that the story has moved from a leaked-reporting phase into an official-review phase, with the president himself now publicly weighing a dismissal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Kimberly Guilfoyle accused of?

A Trump donor, Eric Deters, alleged that Guilfoyle asked him to wire $100,000 to pay down her personal American Express bill in exchange for help with the administration ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing. The Wall Street Journal first reported the messages, and the BBC says it has seen them. Guilfoyle's lawyers dispute the authenticity of the messages and say the money was owed for speaking and consulting work.

Has Trump decided to fire her?

No. Trump said the administration is looking at it and is not happy, which signals active consideration but not a final decision. No formal announcement has been made, and no timeline has been given.

Who is investigating?

The State Department's Office of the Inspector General is investigating Guilfoyle and the U.S. Embassy in Greece, according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke to NBC News. Congressional Democrats on the Senate and House foreign affairs committees have also called for an investigation.

What does Guilfoyle's legal team say?

Her lawyers say Deters owed her about $150,000 for speeches and consulting work she performed for him long before her ambassadorship, and they argue that asking a client to pay for completed work is not corruption. They also dispute the authenticity of the text messages.

Why does this matter for the midterms?

The Hill reported that scandals in Trump's orbit are taking center stage ahead of the midterms, with Democrats seeking ways to tie Republican opponents to the president. The Guilfoyle matter combines an ethics allegation, a donor relationship and a prominent appointee, making it a useful messaging target for Democrats.

What Happens Next

The immediate focus is on the State Department's inspector general and on whether the White House moves from considering a dismissal to announcing one. Trump's language on Monday was notably more pointed than his comments the previous Friday, and Guilfoyle is said to be aware that her position is under debate, consulting her lawyer and seeking advice from administration aides. If the president acts, the Athens post would need a successor at a time when the embassy is already the subject of an internal review.

For readers, the story is worth following on three tracks: the inspector general's findings, any formal White House decision on Guilfoyle's employment, and how Democrats and Republicans use the episode in midterm messaging. Each of those tracks could move independently, and any one of them could change the political calculus for the others. The allegations remain contested, the messages remain disputed, and no final judgment has been rendered by the review now underway.