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Posted on 10/16/2026 8:57:28 AM PDT by Miami Rebel
Trump pal and former modeling agent Paolo Zampolli has been fired from his position of special envoy at the State Department following a bizarre year-long war over email leaks, Politico reported.
A U.S. official told Politico Thursday that Zampolli’s “status as an envoy has been terminated and he is no longer a government employee.”
Zampolli’s firing appears to be the culmination of a nasty feud between the special envoy and the deputy secretary of State Christopher Landau. According to Politico, the two top appointees “have been embroiled in a monthslong fight that includes accusations of leaks to the media and ‘bizarre’ threats of defamation — all over emails that at times included more than a dozen administration officials.”
The emails showed the two men arguing over chains of command, with Landau admonishing Zampolli “to stick to his remit on cultural issues — but devolve into bitter arguments and unproven allegations,” Politico reported.
The messages stand out not just for the personal vitriol but because upward of 16 administration officials were included at times on the email chains, with the dispute at least once spilling over into communications with a top foreign official, opening a window into delicate State Department back-channeling to allies about apparent violations of diplomatic protocol.
“I am hereby ordering you–once again–to immediately stop all work on ANY issues not directly tied to cultural diplomacy, including every one of the issues you mentioned in your recent emails,” Landau wrote to Zampolli in one email from Nov. 14, 2025.
“You have no authority to engage in ANY issues of foreign policy outside of cultural diplomacy, including all the issues you have named,” he wrote.
In another email Landau accused Zampolli of working outside his “legal authority,” and threatened “disciplinary action, dismissal, and legal liability.” Zampolli denied the allegations to Politico.
Zampolli responded to his firing on X:
Special Envoys appointments are for one year. President Trump extended it for more than six months. Years ago, he told me I was too good for modeling and brought me into real estate. Now he told me: “Why do you want to work in government when you can close all these deals?” The President is always right. Serving him and the United States has been the greatest honor of my life. I am deeply grateful to President Trump, Secretary Rubio and the entire team. Now it is time for the next chapter – back to business, building relationships and closing deals. President Trump changed my life once. He just did it again.
Special Envoys appointments are for one year. President Trump extended it for more than six months.
Years ago, he told me I was too good for modeling and brought me into real estate.
Now he told me: “Why do you want to work in government when you can close all these deals?”…
— Paolo Zampolli (@AMBZAMPOLLI) October 15, 2026
Zampolli once represented Melania Trump when she was a model in New York City in the 1990s, and was credited with introducing Melania to Donald Trump at a party.
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Guilfoyle and Zampolli are birds of a feather.
Z-boy seems deliberately defiant about chain of command and who = boss. Fire his arse ASAP.
Can you disagree with boss? Sure. But, keep it private, especially if he has already warned you.
Letting this go on for months in on the boss.
Zampolli is or was way, WAY too close to Jeffrey Epstein to have a close personal or professional relationship with DJT.
I’m glad he’s leaving a position that never should have been created for him in the first place.
“Boss”? It sure looks like the boss fired him.
He’s a free agent now, and free to maximize Russia’s pain.
Hooray!
(Now re-instate video streaming of the execution. Do it.)
What’s that saying ... “He’s high on his own supply”?
Arrogant jerk. Glad he’s gone. He and Kimberly can start their own lobbying firm.
Some day, maybe someone can explain the point of Zampolli has ever having a “special envoy” job to begin with.
Unless the answer is “diplomat posting and ‘special envoys’ have always just been a handout to well-heeled friends to jetset around the world on taxpayer dimes”.
In which case, OK — so the answer is longstanding business as usual.
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