Who is Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump's pick for US ambassador to Greece?
- Published
US President-elect Donald Trump's appointments for his second term have followed a handful of themes. Many of them are long-time loyalists, or one-time Fox News hosts - or they are part of, or connected to, his extended family.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, 55, ticks all three of those boxes. The former Fox host was nominated to be US ambassador to Greece on Tuesday.
She is a fierce defender of Trump who has worked on behalf of his presidential campaigns.
The one-time lawyer also is engaged to Donald Trump Jr, though tabloids have recently spotted the president's eldest son holding hands with another woman - making the current status of their relationship unclear.
Ms Guilfoyle previously was married to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California and a member of the rival Democratic Party.
Announcing her appointment, Trump Sr called Ms Guilfoyle 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," Trump said.
"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."
Writing on social media herself, Ms Guilfoyle thanked Trump for the appointment, saying she was looking forward "to delivering on the Trump agenda, supporting our Greek allies, and ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity".
Greek officials have reacted to her nomination by noting comments she made years ago criticising the Greek people.
In a Fox News broadcast in 2015, she panned the Greeks for challenging a third bailout deal from the country's creditors during the financial crisis of 2009-2018.
The Greeks, she said, were "freeloaders" who needed to be punished like an untrained pet.
"Get up in the morning. Go to work. You guys are retiring too early and that's part of the problem," she said.
"You have, like, politicians making out-of-control promises, buying votes with entitlements that they can't support."
"I mean, nobody likes freeloaders," she added. "It doesn't matter if you made great yogurt. I don't care."
Guilfoyle concluded by saying "nobody is punishing them" like when a "dog pees on the rug."
On Thursday, a spokesman for the Greek government referenced her comments from nearly 10 years ago, saying that she "will come to Greece of 2025 and not to Greece of 2015".
"Greece in 2025 is a country that is developing, growing, and rising, at all levels. It is a country that has been a protagonist in very challenging years and is now a positive example for strong economies," said spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.
He said that Greece is "no longer the black sheep of Europe and the entire world," and that back then "the leaders of all states used Greece as an example to avoid".
"However, Greece grew stronger and endured, mainly because of the sacrifices of Greek citizens, their hard work, their patience, their endurance."
"Greek citizens, with their hard work, kept Greece afloat. The new ambassador of the United States of America will come to see Greece of 2025, and not that of 2015."
Guilfoyle's nomination is one of the appointments that will require the confirmation of US senators.
Before spending more than a decade at Fox, Ms Guilfoyle was a San Francisco and Los Angeles prosecutor.
After leaving broadcasting, she joined the Trump campaign.
Ms Guilfoyle's appointment marks the latest in a string of appointments for one-time or current Fox hosts or contributors. They include Pete Hegseth, the president-elect's nominee for defence secretary, Trump's transportation secretary nominee who once co-hosted a Fox show, and Janette Nesheiwat, Trump's pick for surgeon general.
While the exact status of Ms Guilfoyle in the Trump family is not fully clear, she is not the first close connection appointed to a top job.
Charles Kushner - the father-in-law of Trump's daughter Ivanka - was appointed to be ambassador to France. While Massad Boulos - the father-in-law of Trump's other daughter Tiffany - was selected to be the president-elect's senior adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Ms Guilfoyle and Trump's eldest son have been engaged since 2020. Neither she nor Donald Trump Jr have commented on their current relationship status in response to recent tabloid speculation.
North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher makes sense of US politics in his twice weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.