Texts Show Kimberly Guilfoyle Asking for Money and Offering Access to Trump Officials

October 8, 2026

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5 min read

Texts Show Kimberly Guilfoyle Asking for Money and Offering Access to Trump Officials

The Wall Street Journal's exclusive reporting on U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle reveals text messages in which she asked a MAGA donor to pay her $100,000 American Express bill while offering him access to top Trump administration officials. The story is one of several developments in today's episode, which also covers rising mortgage rates, a renewed phase of violence in Ukraine, a new deficit estimate, and a Nobel Prize in literature.

Guilfoyle's Texts and Financial Requests

Journal reporter Rebecca Ballhouse reviewed hundreds of messages, emails, and letters between Guilfoyle and Eric Dieters, a Trump donor she met in 2020 when he paid her $300,000 to speak at his Freedom Fest event. Dieters had two issues he wanted help with: getting the Justice Department to seek extradition of an Ohio doctor who fled to Pakistan after being charged with defrauding insurers by performing unnecessary spinal surgeries, and speaking with incoming IRS Commissioner Billy Long about a probe into his tax deductions.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:25) **Federal Deficit Hits Nearly $2 Trillion** - CBO reports the U.S. deficit for the last fiscal year rose 12% to nearly $2 trillion, the highest since 2021, with neither political party emphasizing deficit reduction.
2 (01:47) **Oil Prices Spike on Tanker Attack, Then Retreat** - International oil prices rose about 4% after a tanker attack in the Persian Gulf, but fell back after President Trump said the U.S. is having productive discussions with Iran.
3 (02:07) **Mixed Stock Market Close** - The Nasdaq closed down more than 1.2%, the S&P 500 lost about half a percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended higher.
4 (02:16) **Mortgage Rates Climb, But Sellers Offer Concessions** - Freddie Mac reports 30-year fixed mortgage rates rose to 7.4%, the highest since November 2023, but the slowdown is giving buyers leverage.
5 (03:24) **Vance Suspends Microsoft and Adobe from Green Card Program** - Vice President JD Vance announced the administration is suspending the companies from a program allowing H1B visa holders to apply for green cards, accusing them of abusing the system.
6 (04:22) **Russia Intensifies Airstrikes on Ukrainian Civilians** - A Russian glide bomb killed at least 30 people on a bus in Kramatorsk, following a cruise missile strike that killed 22, as the conflict enters a renewed phase of violence.
7 (05:51) **Russia's Strategy Shifts to Terrorizing Ukrainian Society** - Walker explains that Russia is hitting civilian targets to cripple the economy and intimidate the population, as its army has failed to advance on the battlefield this year.

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Show Notes

P.M. Edition for Oct. 8. Rebecca Ballhaus walks us through the Journal’s exclusive reporting on the messages between Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and MAGA donor Eric Deters–communications that are raising new questions about the high-profile diplomat. Plus, WSJ Ukraine bureau chief Marcus Walker discusses Russia’s escalating campaign of airstrikes against Ukrainian cities that has killed more than more than 50 Ukrainians in the past two days, and how Ukraine is bracing for a terrible winter. And mortgage rates rise to 7.4%, their highest rate in nearly three years. But, as Journal housing reporter Nicholas Miller says, there’s good news there for some home buyers. Alex Ossola hosts.

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