Trump on Guilfoyle’s exit: ‘We didn’t like what we were reading’

President Trump on Tuesday said the stream of negative press stories surrounding the conduct of Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle led to her ousting.

“She went to Greece. She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” Trump told reporters outside of the White House.

Trump also played down Guilfoyle’s closeness and history with his family. Guilfoyle was engaged to the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. until 2024, the two were first linked together in 2018. Guilfoyle is also a former Fox News host, one of the president’s favorite news channels.

“She wasn’t a member of my family. I guess she dated my son a long time ago,” Trump said.

The White House announced Tuesday the president had asked for Guilfoyle’s resignation, and she posted a statement to the social media platform X shortly after the news broke.

Trump said he hadn’t spoken to Guilfoyle.

“I didn’t speak to her. But she won’t be there. I didn’t like what I read,” Trump said.

Guilfoyle’s ousting came after a series of reports detailing embarrassing, or possibly illegal, activity ahead of her confirmation hearing as ambassador to Greece and during her more than year-long tenure.

This included a Wall Street Journal report detailing Guilfoyle’s close relationship with a lobbyist representing a Greek shipping firm, in which she had the lobbyist participate in high-level meetings, consistently promoted his firm and accepted private flights paid for by the company.

A second Journal report revealed text messages between Guilfoyle and a Trump donor, with the ambassadorial nominee raising concern that their communications could tank her confirmation. She solicited the donor, Eric Deters, for $100,000 to pay down her credit card debt. Deters said that Guilfoyle promised to advocate for Deters with top Trump officials in exchange for money, the Journal reported.

A third Journal report published Sunday detailed Guilfoyle boasting about close ties to Greek shipping tycoons who were bankrolling her lavish travel.

Guilfoyle, in a statement on X, rejected any allegations of wrongdoing and said that while her time as ambassador to Greece was ending, she would continue being an advocate for Trump and his political movement.

“While my time as Ambassador may be coming to an end, my commitment to President Trump, the America First movement, and the country I love will never end,” she wrote.