From Trump’s “quasi-daughter-in-law” to the fired US ambassador to Greece

At first, everything went so smoothly for her.

Kimberly Guilfoyle was the U.S. ambassador to Greece until she was effectively and publicly fired Tuesday when the new White House press secretary announced on live television that President Trump had asked her to resign. Guilfoyle was previously engaged to the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. The two own a $9.7 million mansion in Florida, attend Trump campaign rallies together, and frequently express their love for each other on Instagram.

"I fall more in love with my fiancé every day than I did the day before," Guilfoyle wrote in a Valentine's Day 2022 Instagram post. "@donaldjtrumpjr, you are my best friend, my spiritual support, and the man I want to spend my life with."

"Thank you for always being there for me, no matter how those who hate us attack us," Trump Jr. posted in 2024. "I love you."

Today, Trump Jr. has married a socialite and model from Florida. Guilfoyle was nominated by President Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Greece shortly after they broke off their engagement two years ago, but now he has lost his job. Previously, the Wall Street Journal published a number of unfavorable reports about her, one of which revealed that in July 2025, just before the Senate held her confirmation hearing for ambassadorship appointment, she asked a Republican donor to repay the US$100,000 outstanding balance on her American Express credit card.

The 57-year-old Guilfoyle has experienced a transformation from great glory to eclipse. This is not surprising to many people in the White House. They regard her as a flamboyant, party-loving woman with questionable judgment.

Her supporters say that beneath the flashy exterior, she is actually a person of substance. Guilfoyle is a former Fox News host, a prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and was once married to Gavin Newsom. Newsom went on to become California's governor and one of the most outspoken critics of Trump within the Democratic Party.

Regardless, Guilfoyle was a former Trump insider who played an important role in the family and its political operations. By firing her so quickly, the president showed that he is willing to cut ties without hesitation with anyone who becomes a burden or embarrassment to him. But at the same time, the move also leaves Guilfoyle with little reason to remain loyal to the president and his family at a time when Trump's political authority is waning.

In announcing her resignation, she denounced what she called false accusations and said she would do whatever she could to protect her reputation. When Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House, he showed little intention of continuing to maintain a close relationship with her.

"She's not my family," he said. "I guess she dated my son a long time ago."

Ms Guilfoyle arrived in Greece less than a year ago, and from the start she was an unusual choice for the job.

In a sense, it was Donald Jr. who indirectly got her the job. In December 2024, he was seen leaving a Palm Beach restaurant hand in hand with socialite and model Bettina Anderson. The next day, President-elect Trump announced Guilfoyle as his choice for ambassador to Greece.

The timing suggests the president wants to send Donald Jr. out of the country at a time of embarrassment for her. Donald Jr. married Anderson this year. Guilfoyle's allies denied this, but Greeks at the time couldn't help but wonder whether the United States had simply sent them a woman abandoned by the president's son.

In Athens, Guilfoyle caused an immediate sensation after arriving on the private jet of a Greek-American billionaire businessman. During Thanksgiving week, she attended a dinner party wearing a partially see-through black evening gown. She joked with the Greek president when she presented her credentials that she was trying to find a new husband. She also frequented Athens nightclubs until the early hours of the morning.

"Oh, it's not too late, probably less than 3 o'clock," Guilfoyle said in an interview with the New York Times last year, referring to how he rushed to a nightclub at 1:30 a.m. to watch the debut of his friend Konstantinos Argyros, one of Greece's most famous pop singers.

Paparazzi followed her everywhere, but Greeks said at the time that Guilfoyle played hard and worked hard. They view her as one of the most important people in the country because of the nature of her position and their perceived access to the White House. People have mostly forgotten what she said on Fox News during the Greek financial crisis in 2015, when she called Greeks "freeloaders" who should be punished like dogs "peeing on the carpet."

Soon after taking office, Guilfoyle announced two major business deals: the development of a U.S.-backed port near Athens and the exploration of natural gas near the island of Corfu. Both projects had been in the works before she arrived in Athens, but Greek officials said she had been involved for months and hoped to announce them during her term.