What did Donald Trump do today?
He pretended he didn't know his own ambassador to Greece, the woman who was engaged to his son for four years.
Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, extorted money from a Republican congressional hopeful who wanted to buy access to Trump through her. Guilfoyle alternately wheedled and threatened the politician, one-time Congressional candidate Eric Deters, to pay off a $100,000 credit card debt through an untraceable money transfer.
The shocking and tawdry reveal in a Wall Street Journal exclusive from earlier this week had Deters calling Guilfoyle a "grifter" who was absolutely demanding a "quid pro quo" for bringing his issues to Trump. Deters also told NBC News that Guilfoyle "was so desperate for that $100,000. It was a quid pro quo. She said I could ask her for anything and everything in Trump world. There was no request too big.”
Guilfoyle resigned today. Asked about it by reporters, Trump offered tepid support for her, but insisted he didn't really know her: "She wasn’t a member of my family. She, I guess, dated my son a long time ago, but she wasn’t—no. She went to Greece. She was doing a good job."
Given Trump's precarious cognitive state, it's not impossible to believe he's forgotten that Guilfoyle was engaged to be married to his son for over four years. (Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. separated in late 2024.) But if so, he's forgotten quite a lot of what's passed between the two in public, like:
- giving her a sexualized nickname: "Kimberly Guilfoyle has been my friend for a long time. I love calling her Kimber-lay. That's my little pet name, right?"
- appointing her Ambassador to Greece in the first place: "For many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally. 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."
- paying her $15,000 a month off the books for a do-nothing campaign job
- paying her $60,000 for a two-minute speech on January 6, 2021
- giving her a prime-time speaking slot at the 2020 Republican convention…
- …and again in 2024:
Trump, who has not been at all shy about charging money for access to himself, added that while he thought Guilfoyle was "doing a good job" as Ambassador to Greece, he "didn't like what we were reading" in the news about her extortion scheme.
Guilfoyle was most recently in the news—in her official capacity, anyway—for threatening to overthrow the government of Greece.
Why does this matter?
- Trump being too senile to remember his son's ex-fiancée, who he appointed to an ambassadorship, is the charitable interpretation here.
- Presidents are accountable for the ethical lapses and crimes of the people they entrust with governmental authority.
- People try to buy access to Trump precisely because they know he can be bought.