U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned on Tuesday after the White House asked her to step down. New press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the request during her first briefing, saying Guilfoyle had been "a wonderful asset to the team."

A White House official later confirmed the administration received her formal resignation.

In a post on X, Guilfoyle called the Athens posting "the honor of a lifetime" and wrote that the allegations against her are false and that she intends to "vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity."

The speed of the downfall is striking because Guilfoyle appeared to be fighting to keep her job only a day earlier. On Monday, Trump told reporters he was considering firing her but added "we're not happy"; by Tuesday, his tone had hardened into "we didn't like what we were reading."

CNN reports she told allies over the weekend she would not resign and believed she would not be fired, while making calls to rally support. One source summed up the humiliation bluntly: "She was basically fired on live TV."

The immediate trigger was reporting by The Wall Street Journal, cited across the pack, that Guilfoyle asked Trump donor Eric Deters to pay a $100,000 American Express bill in July 2025, days before her Senate confirmation hearing, in exchange for access to senior administration officials.

Text messages she allegedly sent, including "Honey please, I need you to get this done for me today," were provided by Deters, who called it "absolutely a quid pro quo" and said he never paid.

According to Yahoo, the Journal reported Tuesday that Guilfoyle tried to convince White House officials the texts were AI-generated, and was unsuccessful. Her attorneys said Deters owed her money for speaking engagements.

The allegations extend well past the credit card request.

Outlets reported that Guilfoyle bragged about luxury trips funded by Greek tycoons, promoted the interests of a Greek construction and energy company, brought one of its lobbyists into top-level diplomatic meetings, and claimed she could use U.S. influence to undermine the Greek government.

DW also reports she alienated embassy staffers, including an episode in which she demanded entry to a Greek-themed Davos event after being left off the guest list. Her lawyers say she followed State Department guidance and travel regulations throughout.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially defended her — Vance saying "we don't try people in the court of public opinion" and Rubio, meeting her in Athens, calling her a "strong ambassador" while scolding reporters.

Privately, CNN reports Rubio was eager to see her gone and annoyed by her appearing at every event on his trip. A senior official told the Associated Press that Trump and Rubio were "extremely pissed off."

Democrats, including Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, are demanding investigations and say resignation does not shield her from accountability.

The State Department's Office of Inspector General is investigating Guilfoyle's conduct, according to officials cited by NBC News and ABC News, and material from the probe could be shared with the Justice Department. U.S. Attorney for D.C.

Jeanine Pirro said prosecutors would likely wait to see what the inspector general finds. Deters, per DW, has vowed to sue Guilfoyle and her attorneys for defamation over their denials, while her lawyers say they are evaluating legal remedies of their own.

No criminal charges have been reported, and the scope of the IG investigation remains unclear.