The appointment of Kimberly Guilfoyle as the next United States Ambassador to Greece is currently in limbo, despite her recent approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The confirmation process has been stalled by a political standoff in the Senate, where Democrats are blocking the fast-track confirmation of President Trump’s nominees.
Guilfoyle is one of approximately 130 presidential nominees awaiting final Senate approval. Democrats have refused to allow a streamlined process, instead demanding a roll call vote for each individual candidate. With the Senate now on summer recess, Guilfoyle’s confirmation is on hold until at least early September.
Guilfoyle’s appointment to Greece falls victim to US politics
The institutional deadlock prompted a fiery response from Donald Trump on Truth Social. In a post, he accused Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of “political blackmail” and called the Democrats’ behavior “outrageous and unprecedented.”
Trump claimed that Schumer was demanding “over $1 billion” to approve the nominations, and urged Republican senators to reject any deal and highlight the Democrats’ actions to their constituents.
In response, Schumer defended his party’s position, stating that many of Trump’s nominees are “incompetent, exposed, or inadequate.” He emphasized that the Democrats had not caved to Trump’s pressure, saying, “Trump tried to intimidate us, to bypass us, to threaten us, to curse at us — but he got nothing.” Schumer’s comments were not directed solely at Guilfoyle but applied to all pending ambassadorial and judicial nominations.
The prolonged delay has created a leadership void at the U.S. embassy in Greece. The second-in-command, Maria Olson, was recently reassigned to Ankara, leaving Ambassador Tom Barak, Turkey’s envoy, to exert influence on issues that also impact Greece.
Who is Kimberly Guilfoyle?
Kimberly Guilfoyle is an attorney, former television personality, and political strategist. She gained national recognition as a co-host of The Five on Fox News and previously served as an assistant district attorney in both San Francisco and Los Angeles prior to transitioning to a career in media.
Guilfoyle left Fox News in July 2018 and joined Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign as the finance committee chair soon after. In the years that followed, she became a prominent political figure and testified before the House select committee, investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
She was born on March 9, 1969, in San Francisco. Her mother was of Puerto Rican descent, and her father immigrated to the US from Ireland at the age of twenty. Raised as a Catholic, she spent her early years in San Francisco’s Mission District and later in Daly City’s Westlake neighborhood.
In December 2001, she married Gavin Newsom, then a San Francisco city supervisor. Newsom became the city’s mayor in 2003.
