Italian-American businessman Paolo Zampolli, a longtime friend of Donald Trump who served as the United States' special envoy for global partnerships, left the American government after an internal dispute exposed by the website Politico and accused Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, of leaking information to the press.
In a brief interview with Folha, Zampolli stated that he had spoken personally with Trump about his departure and sought to minimize the episode, which occurred on Thursday (15), a few hours after Politico revealed a series of emails that exposed months of disagreements between the two members of the American government.
"I talked to the president and said, 'Mr. President, I'm sorry, this guy [Landau] is a leaker. He did this,'" Zampolli said. He said his departure was expected: his one-year appointment had been extended for another six months by Trump.
“I stayed 18 months and needed to find something else to do,” he said. Contacted by Folha, the State Department confirmed the termination of Zampolli's duties, but did not clarify the circumstances of the decision or comment on the accusations made against Landau.
Zampolli said Trump encouraged him to resume business because he could not be paid for the transactions he helped carry out in government. "He said to me: 'Paolo, you keep closing deals and you can't get paid for it. Why don't you make some money for a while?'", he reported.
Zampolli introduced Melania to Trump in 1998 in New York and had a career in modeling before taking on diplomatic roles. Appointed special envoy in 2025 for cultural diplomacy and international partnerships, his proximity to Trump was a focus of tension in the State Department.
Fight over emails
According to Politico, disagreements over Zampolli's duties and hierarchy at the State Department evolved into attacks, accusations of leaks and legal threats.
The messages obtained by Politico show Landau trying to limit Zampolli to cultural diplomacy, considering that he went beyond his duties. In November 2025, Landau ordered Zampolli via email to stop work outside of his role.
Zampolli, in turn, argued that he had been appointed directly by Trump and maintained that only the president had the authority to remove him from office. The exchange involved other employees and was worsened by accusations of leaks to the press. Landau denied being responsible for the leaks, according to Politico.
To Folha, Zampolli said he never had a good relationship with Landau and minimized the revelations. When comparing his situation to that of other members of the government who lost their positions, he argued that his departure was not associated with a scandal.
"What's the scandal? An email with that idiot?", he asked, referring to the dispute with Landau. After leaving the government, Zampolli thanked Trump and Marco Rubio and said that serving the United States was an honor.
Dispute with Brazilian
Zampolli's time in government was also marked by controversy with his ex-partner, Brazilian model Amanda Ungaro, mother of his son.
In March, a New York Times report revealed that the businessman had contacted a senior official at ICE, the American immigration service, while he was competing with Ungaro for custody of his teenage son.
According to the newspaper, Zampolli contacted David Venturella, then director of the agency, and informed him that Ungaro, arrested in Miami on suspicion of labor fraud, was illegal in the country, asking for her arrest, which could favor him in the custody dispute.
Venturella contacted ICE agents in Miami, and Ungaro was detained and deported to Brazil.
Zampolli admitted to having sought out the employee, but denied trying to influence the arrest. The Department of Homeland Security also denied political interference to Folha. "Any suggestion that she was arrested and deported for political reasons or favors is false," he said in a statement.
The case raised doubts about Zampolli's use of influence in the family dispute. In April, Folha revealed his insults to Brazilian women in an interview with RAI. Regarding Ungaro, he stated that Brazilian women were "programmed to cause confusion", amid the repercussion of the case at ICE.
Back to business
Zampolli said he remains close to Trump and intends to resume business. "After six hours, I already feel rich because I can make money. When you work for the president, you can't get paid. I mean, you can, but you could end up in jail," he said.
When asked about his next plans, he replied: "At least try. If I'm lucky, I'll make money." Zampolli ended the interview claiming to have a commitment: "Write what you want, write what you think is best, because, anyway, it doesn't make a difference."
