MAGA Donor Eric Deters Sues Guilfoyle, Says 'Explosive' Recording Could 'Bring Down' Trump Admin and End Vance-Rubio Ticket

Eric Deters, a Donald Trump donor and former Kentucky congressional candidate, is suing Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former US ambassador to Greece, for defamation, after her lawyers dismissed his account of a $100,000 (around £75,000) payment request as fake and branded him a blackmailer.

Announcing the lawsuit in a video on 15 October, Deters went further. He said the case 'might just bring down the entire Trump administration' and claimed he was holding a recording from Greece that could threaten a future presidential ticket of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

What Deters Is Demanding in Court

Deters is seeking a public apology, a retraction, and $1 million (around £750,000) in damages. He wants Guilfoyle and the other defendants to admit the texts are genuine, accept that he did not blackmail her, and acknowledge he owes her nothing.

He also said he intends to depose Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr., to whom she was once engaged, and to subpoena records from the administration.

The Greece Recording Deters Has Yet to Play

Deters described the recording as a 16-minute telephone conversation from Greece, which he called 'the most explosive, most devastating information about Kimberly Guilfoyle to date.' He said it 'may end the JD Vance-Marco Rubio ticket,' a reference to a potential 2028 Republican presidential pairing.

He did not reveal what the recording contained or explain how it might implicate Vance or Rubio. Deters promised to play it at a news conference at 3 p.m. on Friday, 16 October. As of the latest reporting, it had not been released, and its contents could not be independently verified.

How the Guilfoyle Amex Dispute Unfolded

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and one of the Trump movement's best-known fundraisers, was once married to California Governor Gavin Newsom and later engaged to Trump Jr.

Her troubles began with private messages, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, in which she asked Deters in July 2025 to wire $100,000 to her American Express account to clear a bill, days before her Senate confirmation hearing. She allegedly urged him to keep the payment quiet, saying a transfer to the card 'won't show up anywhere.'

In return, according to Deters, she offered to connect him with senior officials who could help with his tax and legal problems, including long-running medical-malpractice litigation. He said he refused, telling her it would have cost him his marriage.

Deters said he had paid Guilfoyle around $300,000 (£225,000) to speak at Freedom Fest, a conservative event he launched in 2020 in opposition to Covid-19 mandates, and had offered up to $1 million for lobbying help, payable only if his case succeeded.

Guilfoyle and her lawyers reject that account. They have called the messages inauthentic and described Deters as a 'known blackmailer', insisting she was merely chasing around $150,000 (£113,000) in unpaid speaking and consulting fees. Her attorney, Jesse Binnall, is named as a defendant.

Already facing scrutiny over reports of travel funded by wealthy Greek businessmen, Guilfoyle was publicly urged to resign on 13 October, during the first briefing by new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, and stepped down hours later. 'These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,' she said.

Vance and Rubio Weigh In on Guilfoyle

Both men have addressed the allegations. Speaking to reporters in Ohio, where he cast an early ballot in the midterm elections, Vance said, 'Look, these are allegations, and what I always say is: we don't try people in the court of public opinion. We try people in a court of law.' He added that if 'something bad' happened, 'then people have to suffer consequences for it.'

Rubio, asked during a visit to Greece whether he still had confidence in Guilfoyle, said his job was 'not to respond every time someone decides to give the media something without any advance warning.'

Deters, 63, is a former attorney and radio host known as 'The Bulldog' who has run unsuccessfully for Kentucky governor and for Congress. The state Supreme Court declined to reinstate his law licence in 2021. He says he still supports the administration's policies.