By Christos Zabounis

It is a rare phenomenon in the Greek — and not only Greek — press for a journalist and a media outlet to be praised for an exclusive. In the case of MANCODE, however, we’ll do just that, by congratulating its counterpart Vogue (also distributed with Kathimerini) and its writer, Iliana Magra. Judging, however, from the barrage of reproductions of the interview with the new U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle by local news sites, we may actually be talking about indirect recognition. It’s true that the long wait for her arrival has heightened the interest. More than nine months have passed since her predecessor, Iakovos Tsounis, vacated the post she is about to assume. It’s also true that her title as the fiancée (from 2018 to 2024) of Donald Trump Jr. made the story even more fascinating. Finally, after a stop in London — where the interview took place, on the sidelines of The Hellenic Initiative charity event — Kimberly is on her way. One might assume that the delay in her swearing-in was due to the extensive briefing she had to undergo before passing the “exams” of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. It is also reasonable to assume that the text of the interview was approved by her and her advisors. What is particularly striking, however, in an otherwise “classic” conversation, is the way she answers one diplomatically difficult question by Ms. Magra — namely, that “since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second presidential term, he has not met bilaterally with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which has worried some observers.” At that point, according to Vogue, Guilfoyle smiles reassuringly: “We’ll be fine — we’ll be fine. I mean, he’s sending me.” Marvelous!