President Donald Trump sparked widespread outrage online following his use of an unconventional nickname for U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle at a White House event honoring Greek Independence Day, bringing renewed attention to his connection with his son’s former fiancée and questions about her diplomatic assignment.
During the East Room event on March 26, the 79-year-old president called Guilfoyle to the stage, where he revealed what he characterized as his “little pet name” for the 56-year-old diplomat.
“I love calling her ‘Kimber-lay,’ that’s my little pet name, right?” Trump told the assembled crowd. “But you are the greatest, and I heard they love you over there. And I hope you come back here in 12 years or whenever the term ends.”
The incident quickly generated intense backlash on social media, where commenters labeled the remark as “disturbing” and “inappropriate” considering Guilfoyle’s past engagement to Donald Trump Jr. and her present ambassadorial position.
Guilfoyle was engaged to Trump Jr. for multiple years following their engagement on December 31, 2020, though their six-year romance concluded in December 2024. During that same month, President Trump revealed his plan to nominate her as ambassador to Greece. She received Senate confirmation on September 18, 2025, through a tight 51-47 vote.
The 48-year-old Trump Jr. has subsequently entered a new relationship, becoming engaged to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 39, at a White House holiday party on December 15, 2025.
Detractors criticized the president’s comments as violating professional standards. Many highlighted the obvious discomfort of a sitting president employing what some viewed as a sexually charged nickname for his son’s previous fiancée—someone he had selected to represent the United States internationally.
The event renewed debates about nepotism and political appointments within the Trump administration. Guilfoyle’s nomination attracted attention due to her familial connections to the Trump family and her position as an outspoken campaign surrogate during the 2024 election cycle.
Guilfoyle carries a complicated political background to her ambassadorship. She held the position of First Lady of San Francisco from 2001 to 2006 throughout her marriage to California Governor Gavin Newsom, presently regarded as a top prospect for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Following her divorce from Newsom, she wed businessman Eric Villency in 2006, with whom she has a son named Ronan. That union concluded in 2009.
After her split from Villency, Guilfoyle worked 12 years at Fox News from 2006 to 2018 prior to becoming extensively engaged with the Trump family’s political activities. She assumed a significant role in directing President Trump’s 2024 election campaign.
Some detractors escalated their criticism, with multiple individuals referencing Jeffrey Epstein in their responses, implying the nickname had troubling connotations.
Notwithstanding the widespread criticism, Guilfoyle has continued to support the president. In a recent interview with the New York Times, she said her relationship with Trump: “That’s one of the things the president loves about me—that I’m loyal, I’m smart, that I’m effective.”
She has additionally stated she is pleased for her former fiancé Trump Jr. and his new relationship with Anderson.
Guilfoyle currently lives in Athens at Jefferson House, which functions as both her residence and a location for hosting diplomatic events. Throughout her service, she has been involved in several economic initiatives, including the development of a U.S.-backed port near Athens and a deal to import American liquefied natural gas from Greece to Ukraine.
Nevertheless, not all Greeks have welcomed her appointment. George Katrougalos, the Greek foreign minister under the previous leftist government, and Constantinos Filis, the director of the Institute of Global Affairs at the American College of Greece, have both expressed reservations.
Their hesitation is compounded by resurfaced footage from a 2015 segment of Fox News’ “The Five,” in which Guilfoyle called Greeks “freeloaders” who needed to be punished, comparing the country’s debt crisis to a situation where nobody disciplines a dog that urinates on the rug.
During the White House ceremony, Trump also noted that he believed Greek citizens appreciated her work, though he offered no specific examples.
The president’s comment that he hoped she would return to the United States “in 12 years or whenever the term ends” struck some observers as peculiar, given that ambassadorships typically last only as long as the appointing administration remains in office.
The Greek Independence Day celebration was meant to commemorate Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, an annual tradition at the White House. Instead, Trump’s remarks shifted focus to his personal relationship with the ambassador and raised fresh questions about the boundaries between family, politics and professional conduct in his administration.
