Able bosses set the tone for their employees’ conduct by example. So imagine my surprise when Kimberly Guilfoyle was pushed out of the Trump administration for the kind of behavior that flows from its very top.
The ambassador to Greece was ousted from her role last week less than a month into a news cycle detailing alleged efforts to make some extra cash. Who could blame her for thinking some hustling was fair game when questionable dealings are seemingly part of the job description?
But for an administration that prides itself on shrugging off scathing headlines, it took relatively few to do in Guilfoyle. According to reports by the Wall Street Journal, Guilfoyle allegedly helped promote a Greek company, solicited $100,000 from a Trump donor to pay down credit card debt and went on luxury trips with a Greek shipping magnate. Guilfoyle called the recent allegations against her “false,” vowing to “vigorously defend” herself.
A winter getaway in Gstaad seems sensible enough when your ex-fiancé’s wedding was nearly bankrolled by a Russian oligarch. Just last month, ProPublica reported that Donald Trump Jr.’s dear friend Umar Kremlev tried to comp parts of the groom’s tropical nuptials.
Kremlev, the head of the International Boxing Association, reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for wedding celebrations at a private island in the Bahamas. And what’s an island wedding without a fireworks show? According to ProPublica, the tab on the fireworks display could have run $70,000. “It’s totally allowed,” President Donald Trump said a few days after the story broke. But the circumspect groom “didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back.” Kremlev confirmed that he was paid back.
Guilfoyle wasn’t afforded the same escape. Then again, she isn’t family. Trump noted she only “dated my son a long time ago.” (They were engaged for nearly four years and broke up in 2024.) Plus, timing is everything in politics. Guilfoyle had the rotten luck of catching bad headlines the same week that a Fox News poll had corruption topping a list of voter concerns — beating out inflation and gas prices.
Perhaps the president wants to look proactive ahead of the midterms in the face of some fishy dealings. But Guilfoyle’s ouster wasn’t even the sole example of the administration’s hazy line between public service and personal promotion last week.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that former White House crypto adviser Bo Hines advocated for a bill that applied to crypto company Tether. The company paid millions to a consultancy co-owned by Hines. Now he serves as Tether’s U.S. chief of operations.
Other Trump-linked dealings are raising eyebrows — and driving divisions in the White House. There’s talk that Chief of Staff Susie Wiles might quit after the midterms. A photo showed her daughter Katie Wiles on a visit to Republika Srpska. The autonomous territory in Bosnia is a client of the lobbying firm where Katie Wiles works. The territory also received political consulting from Trump advisers James Blair and Chris LaCivita, who continue to lead Republicans’ midterm strategy.
The ethicist in chief reportedly doesn’t like it when current or former aides appear to cash in on their Trump connections. Certain perks are seemingly reserved for the boss.
CBS News recently detailed how top holders of the $TRUMP meme coin will get premium seating at a gala with the president in November. More than half of the top 100 holders used a crypto exchange that bars American customers, suggesting some could be based overseas. That does little to assuage long-standing concerns that crypto could be a tool for foreign actors to gain influence.
Binance, one of the crypto exchanges in question, was co-founded by Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to violating anti-money-laundering rules. Zhao was pardoned by Trump in 2025. Last year, the president reported more than $1.4 billion from crypto-related dealings.
If Guilfoyle’s ousting was an attempt at damage control, the president should consider examining his own conduct. His behavior doesn’t have to qualify as explicit corruption to inspire a culture that cultivates self-dealing.
While not illegal, Trump has cashed in on self-branded watches and sneakers — even the word of God. Beyond lucrative merch sales, Trump’s decisions in his official capacity convey, at the very least, bad judgment. Is it really appropriate to accept a $400 million presidential jet from the same country where your sons are involved in a $5.5 billion luxury resort development?
The president’s almost-daughter-in-law couldn’t be faulted if she thought a bit of credit card debt was fair game.
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