Her father, Tony Guilfoyle, was born in the Irish town of Ennis in the county of Clare and immigrated to the United States in 1957 when he was 20 years old. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1958 while still a citizen of Ireland, and he served in the army for four years. After being discharged from the army, Tony Guilfoyle went to work in the construction trades, where he remained until his death in 2008. He was also a real estate investor and a close advisor to Mayor Newsom. Guilfoyle graduated from Mercy High School in San Francisco and the University of California, Davis, and the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1994, earning her Juris Doctorate from the latter institution. During law school, she worked as an intern at the San Francisco district attorney's office and modeled for Macy's and a bridal magazine. She also went to Trinity College Dublin in Ireland to further her education and published research on international children's rights and European Economic Community (EU) law while at the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

Law

She taught in a public school district after law school and briefly worked as a prosecutor in San Francisco. However, she was fired in 1996 when Terence Hallinan was elected district attorney and dismissed 14 of the city's prosecutors. Guilfoyle then spent four years as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles, prosecuting a variety of crimes against adults and children, including drug trafficking, domestic violence, kidnapping, robbery, arson, sexual assault, and homicide.

For her work, she was awarded Prosecutor of the Month. In 2000, Hallinan rehired Guilfoyle in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, where she worked as an assistant district attorney for the next four years. During this time, she co-prosecuted the 2002 case People v. Noel and Knoller, a second-degree murder trial involving a dog mauling that received international attention, and was successful in obtaining a conviction.

The Trump administration and the Trump 2020 presidential campaign

The New York Times reported in December 2016 that Guilfoyle was being considered for the position of press secretary for President Donald Trump. Mr. Spicer was widely regarded as the front-runner for the position, and he was ultimately chosen. On the May 12th episode of The Five, co-host Bob Beckel hinted that Guilfoyle had declined the position. On May 15, 2017, Guilfoyle confirmed in an interview with Bay Area News Group that she had been in contact with the White House about the position following Spicer's resignation. She stated that it would be an honor to serve her country, adding that it would be a "fascinating job" but also a "challenging job" that would require someone who is "determined and focused, who's also a great communicator, and who has a lot of knowledge to be able to handle that position." On the other hand, Guilfoyle stated on May 19 that she was under contract with Fox, implying that she had turned down the White House offer. One month later, she was offered a contract extension by Fox.

The Washington Post described Guilfoyle as a "conservative cheerleader for President Trump" in 2018. In 2020, she was reported to be the chair of the finance committee of the Trump Victory Committee. Additionally, Guilfoyle's private company, Parscale Strategy, was reported to be receiving $15,000 per month from the Trump campaign as of early 2020.

Guilfoyle was in charge of fundraising for the Trump 2020 presidential campaign. This division hired a socialite named Somers Farkas to raise money. During Guilfoyle's tenure as a fundraising director, the division was riven with internal strife, as experienced employees left and accusations of irresponsible spending surfaced. Guilfoyle delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention in August 2020 that some observers widely criticized as being unnecessarily loud or unhinged, while others in the media praised it as being passionate. The fact that her mother was from Puerto Rico and thus an American citizen prompted her to describe herself as a first-generation American, which was criticized. Guilfoyle appeared on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., in January 2021 with President Trump, Donald Jr., Rudy Giuliani, Eric Trump, and others to address the "Save America March," which culminated in the attack on the Capitol. Guilfoyle was heavily involved in planning the rally that catalyzed the attack on the Capitol.

Personal life

In 2001, Guilfoyle married Gavin Newsom, who was then serving as a San Francisco city supervisor. In 2003, Newsom was elected Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. During her marriage to Newsom, she went by Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom to avoid confusion with her maiden name. The couple was featured in the September 2004 issue of Harper's Bazaar, where they were photographed at the Getty Villa and referred to as the "New Kennedys" in the title. Guilfoyle and Newsom decided to split in January 2005, citing the strain of living in two different cities on opposite coasts. According to court records, their divorce was finalized on February 28, 2006.

In Barbados, Guilfoyle married furniture heir Eric Villency on May 27, 2006. On October 4, 2006, Guilfoyle gave birth to their son. Guilfoyle and Villency announced their separation in June 2009, and their divorce was finalized later in the same year.

In June 2018, Vanessa Trump, who had filed for divorce three months earlier, confirmed in an interview with People magazine that Guilfoyle was dating her estranged husband, Donald Trump Jr. The Trumps finalized their divorce at the end of the calendar year. In mid-2019, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. purchased a home in The Hamptons for $4.4 million, which they sold for $8.14 million in March. In March 2021, Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. purchased a $9.7 million home in Jupiter, Florida, as a joint venture.