[AP]
US president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the American ambassador to Athens described Greeks during the crippling financial crisis of 2009-2018 as “freeloaders” who needed to be punished in the same way as a dog does when it “pees on the rug.”
“Nobody likes freeloaders. It doesn’t matter if you made great yogurt. I don’t care,” Kimberly Guilfoyle was reported by The Independent on Thursday as having said during a show on Fox News – before she left the network under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations – reacting to the 2015 referendum where Greeks voted against a new austerity package.
“Suck it up. Get up in the morning. Go to work. You guys are retiring too early. And that’s part of the problem. You have, like, politicians making out-of-control promises, buying votes with entitlements that they can’t support,” Guilfoyle had remarked, according to the report.
Trump announced his intention to appoint Guilfoyle, a former fundraiser for his campaign who is also currently engaged to his son, Donald Jr, in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
“Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States, and safeguard its interests abroad,” Trump said in the post.
“Kimberly is perfectly suited to foster strong bilateral relations with Greece, advancing our interests on issues ranging from defense cooperation to trade and economic innovation,” he added.
The nomination of Guilfoyle needs to be confirmed by the Senate.