Who is Eric Deters? The MAGA donor Kimberly Guilfoyle sought $100,000 from for AmEx bill

Eric Deters, a former Kentucky congressional candidate and longtime ally of President Trump, has emerged in the national spotlight after an explosive report revealed his alleged text exchanges with U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle over her credit card debt.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Guilfoyle, ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the former fiancee of Donald Trump Jr., allegedly pressed Deters to pay her $100,000 American Express balance without leaving a paper trail, and in exchange promised to help him reach senior administration officials.

Deters, 63, is a former attorney, businessman and conservative radio host who has spent years building connections within Trump’s inner circle. He declined to make the payment, and has since publicly accused Guilfoyle of offering political access in exchange for large sums of money.

Guilfoyle’s dealings with Deters began drawing attention after the Journal obtained hundreds of text messages, emails and letters, detailing their relationship in a bombshell report.

According to the outlet, Guilfoyle told Deters she needed the balance to be paid ahead of her July 9, 2025, confirmation hearing before the Senate.

“Honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” she wrote in one exchange on the messaging app Signal, which was obtained by the Journal. The message was sent on July 3, days before her hearing.

She then reportedly sent Deters instructions to wire $100,000 directly to her American Express account, suggesting the payment would not leave a paper trail.

“It won’t show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express,” she wrote. “Please.”

Deters refused, telling Guilfoyle he did not have the money and could not make the payment without jeopardizing his marriage.

The Journal also reported that Guilfoyle repeatedly urged Deters not to document their financial arrangements in writing, warning that doing so could threaten her ambassadorship.

In an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday, Deters characterized their relationship as a “quid pro quo,” alleging that Guilfoyle promised to use her political connections to help him if he provided the money.

“She made it very clear, and the text messages make it very clear, she was so desperate for me to send that $100,000,” Deters said, claiming that Guilfoyle offered to become his “ride or die in the Trump world” if he paid her.

Guilfoyle’s attorney has since disputed the authenticity of the messages without identifying specific inaccuracies, saying she was owed money for previous speaking engagements and travel expenses — a claim Deters denied.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since refused to comment on the story, telling reporters while on diplomatic travel in Greece that he does not know if the allegations are “true or not true.”

“Our job is not to respond every time someone decides to give the media something without any advance warning, without having any chance to look at it and see what’s in there,” Rubio said.

Deters has been an outspoken supporter of Trump since he first campaigned for president in 2016, promoting Trump’s candidacy as a morning radio host based in Ohio.

He frequently declared himself “Trump today, Trump tomorrow, Trump forever,” according to the Journal.

His connections to Trump’s family grew through Freedom Fest, a conservative gathering he launched in Northern Kentucky in 2020 in opposition to COVID-19 mandates.

The event attracted prominent figures in Trump’s inner circle, including the president’s sons Eric Trump and Trump Jr., as well as Guilfoyle, who got engaged to Trump Jr. that same year before the couple announced their breakup in 2024.

Deters told the Journal he paid Guilfoyle $300,000 over several years to speak at the event, along with $200,000 to Trump Jr. and $100,000 to Eric Trump.

He also donated $125,000 to the MAGA Inc. super PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The event continued for several years, though its 2026 edition was canceled after organizers sold just six of the 100 available VIP tickets, according to Deters . In September, he said on Facebook that he is “never ever, ever, ever ever doing this event again.”

After Trump’s 2024 election victory, Deters began seeking Guilfoyle’s help with several disputes involving federal agencies.

One involved an Ohio spine surgeon named Abubakar Atiq Durrani, who fled to Pakistan after facing charges of performing unnecessary surgeries and defrauding insurance companies.

Deters, who said he was advising attorneys representing hundreds of Durrani’s former patients, wanted the Justice Department to pursue his extradition.

He also sought assistance with an Internal Revenue Service inquiry into a tax deduction connected to the sale of his interest in the family business.

According to the Journal, Guilfoyle contacted then-IRS Commissioner Billy Long on Deters’ behalf and discussed reaching other senior administration officials.

Deters also offered to pay her $1 million if she could arrange an interview with podcaster Tucker Carlson, hoping to draw attention to the Durrani case. The interview never materialized.

Deters told the Journal that despite his financial contributions and connections, Guilfoyle failed to deliver on her promises, which included lobbying top Trump officials such as FBI director Kash Patel and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“She never came through on anything,” he said.

Political career and legal controversies

Deters launched several unsuccessful bids for political office, including for Kentucky governor and Congress, where he challenged Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in the state’s 4th Congressional District.

The Northern Kentucky businessman, who previously co-owned regional restaurant chain Snappy Tomato Pizza, was also a former criminal defense attorney.

His legal career was marked by repeated disciplinary proceedings. In 2020, Deters was banned from entering a courthouse in Hamilton County, Ohio, after threatening on social media to burn it down.

The Kentucky Bar Association also twice suspended him over misconduct, including making false statements in court proceedings and filing frivolous claims.

The Kentucky Supreme Court rejected his effort to regain his license to practice law in 2021, with the chief justice describing his approach to practicing law as “anarchy.”

“Deters’ lack of self-awareness is utterly amazing,” the opinion reads.

Deters has since retired from practicing law, describing himself to the Journal as a “legal outlaw.”