President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son’s longtime fiancée, to serve as U.S. ambassador to Greece.
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“For many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally,” Trump wrote in a post praising Guilfoyle, 55, on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States, and safeguard its interests abroad.”
Guilfoyle, a former television host and political fundraiser, got engaged to Trump’s eldest child Donald Trump Jr. in 2020, though their current relationship status is unclear. Guilfoyle, in a post on X, said she was looking forward “to earning the support of the U.S. Senate,” as the post requires its confirmation.
Here’s what to know about Guilfoyle.
Guilfoyle was previously a prosecutor and TV host
Guilfoyle, over the last two decades, went from being the belle of the Bay Area to conservative cheerleader for Trump. A prosecutor by trade, she was once compared to Jackie Kennedy — as half of a liberal power couple — with then-husband Gavin Newsom, after his 2003 election as San Francisco mayor, in an eight-page spread in Harper’s Bazaar. (Newsom, a Democrat with whom Guilfoyle had an amicable divorce in 2006, is now the California governor.)
Guilfoyle was born to a Puerto Rican mother, a teacher. Her father, a contractor, emigrated from Ireland. She attended law school at the University of San Francisco and helped pay for college and law school by modeling for soap, clothing and lingerie.
After law school, she briefly landed a job in the San Francisco district attorney’s office. She ultimately turned to TV, at one point a legal analyst for CNN and ABC News, and joined Fox News in 2006 as the host of a crime show that featured murders, rapes and missing young women. In 2011, she joined the network’s popular prime-time panel show “The Five.”
In 2015, Guilfoyle wrote a self-help guide entitled: “Making the Case: How to Be Your Own Best Advocate” and this year, published a children’s book called “The Princess and Her Pup” that focuses on courage. She also hosts the Kimberly Guilfoyle Show podcast on Rumble.
Guilfoyle has been an ardent defender of Trump for years
During Guilfoyle’s years at Fox, she met the Trump family at charity events in New York and grew closer to Don Jr., whom she began dating in 2018. During the first presidential campaign, her star brightened in Trumpworld; while negotiating her exit from Fox in 2018, Guilfoyle gave a fiery speech in Dallas at a conservative leadership summit for young women, delivering a strident defence of Trump’s treatment of women.
Guilfoyle left Fox that year to work as vice chair of America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC, calling her departure “bitter-sweet” and adding that she was planning to campaign “across the country and firmly standing with President Trump.” In 2020, Guilfoyle was appointed the national chair of Trump Victory’s finance committee — an effort to draw on her star power to recruit a network of well-connected fundraisers to bring in large checks to the committee.
In 2021, she spoke briefly at the rally on Jan. 6 that preceded the Capitol riot. A year later she was issued with a subpoena to testify to the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol. She has since remained an ardent defender of Trump, recently speaking at this year’s Republican National Convention, where she said he survived an attempted assassination due to divine intervention. “God has put an armour of protection over Donald Trump,” she told the crowd.
Guilfoyle says she will deliver ‘on the Trump agenda’ in Greece
“President Trump’s historic victory is bringing hope and optimism to the American people and to freedom-loving allies across the world. It was the democratic values born in Greece that helped shape the founding of America,” Guilfoyle wrote after plans for her nomination were announced.
“And now, we have an opportunity to honour that history by bringing better days here at home and abroad. As ambassador, I look forward to delivering on the Trump agenda, supporting our Greek allies, and ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity.”
The Mediterranean country is grappling with problems including a weakened economy and migrant crisis, as well as reeling from deadly wildfires and other impacts of climate change. The current U.S. ambassador to Greece is George James Tsunis, a major Democratic donor and hotel executive, who is Greek-American and speaks Greek as his first language. Trump said in his nomination, “Kimberly is perfectly suited to foster strong bilateral relations with Greece, advancing our interests on issues ranging from defence cooperation to trade and economic innovation.”
Guilfoyle got engaged to Donald Trump Jr. in 2020
The pair were previously seen on hunting trips, a jaunt to Paris and at celebrations at the White House. The current status of their relationship is unclear although a report suggests they have split up, but the younger Trump congratulated Guilfoyle on the impending nomination. “I am so proud of Kimberly,” he said in a post on X. “She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First.”