The Trump administration has asked former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece, White House press secretary Katie Zacharia confirmed Tuesday during her first briefing.
“We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign,” Zacharia told reporters. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team, and we wish her well.”
The announcement came one day after President Donald Trump said his administration was considering firing Guilfoyle amid allegations of misconduct, including reports that she sought $100,000 from a political donor to cover a personal credit card bill. Guilfoyle’s representatives have disputed the allegations.
“Well, we’re looking at it. Yeah, we’re not happy,” Trump told reporters Monday.
The allegations have also drawn scrutiny of Fox News’ coverage, with former network executive Ken LaCorte accusing the outlet of “journalistic malpractice” over what he characterized as its failure to adequately cover the controversy. Fox News has pointed to its earlier reporting on the allegations.
Zacharia did not provide a timeline for Guilfoyle’s departure or name a potential replacement.
Beyond the Guilfoyle announcement, Zacharia’s roughly 14-minute debut offered an early look at her approach to the job: extensive praise for Trump’s accomplishments, a commitment to expanding new-media access and limited time for questions from the White House press corps.
“I am so honored to work for President Trump and the American people,” Zacharia said at the outset. “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.”
She quickly turned to the November midterms, praising the enthusiasm surrounding Trump’s campaign rallies and detailing his upcoming appearances across the country. Her opening remarks also included an extensive rundown of administration claims about wages, job creation, energy production and foreign investment.
The campaign-focused remarks set the stage for a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, who asked whether her job was to communicate White House policy or help Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
Zacharia said she hoped to “amplify, multiply, and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people.”
She also signaled continuity with her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, pledging to retain and potentially expand the dedicated new-media seat introduced during Leavitt’s tenure.
“We are absolutely gonna keep it, and we’re gonna expand on it to the extent possible,” she told Breitbart’s Nick Gilbertson, who received the first question. “We love new media, and we want to be able to embrace it.”
Zacharia took questions from just three reporters, including Doocy, who also asked whether the U.S. had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. She said she would get back to him. The final exchange focused on Guilfoyle and how Zacharia planned to balance the demanding job with raising four children.
Zacharia ended the briefing by explaining that Trump was preparing to depart for Alaska, where reporters would have another opportunity to question him.
While the president’s travel schedule offered an explanation for the abbreviated session, Zacharia’s debut left little opportunity to assess how she will handle sustained questioning from the White House press corps.