Vice President JD Vance was asked directly about corruption in the Trump administration, including the forced resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece, at a CBS News town hall in Michigan that aired on Saturday.
"Yes, D.C. is a corrupt town," Vance said. But, he added, "I have not seen a single shred of evidence that he participates or sanctions in that corruption."
The corruption question
CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil raised polling on corruption, the president's personal business interests and the ouster of Guilfoyle earlier in the week. Guilfoyle denies wrongdoing, and Trump denies having any conflicts of interest.
Vance did not discuss Guilfoyle by name, according to CBS's account. On the broader question of selling access, he said: "If somebody's selling access to the White House, that's disgusting and despicable."
Why Guilfoyle is out
The White House asked Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece on Tuesday, October 13, and she did.
Her exit followed weeks of reporting by The Wall Street Journal, which alleged that she:
- asked a Trump donor to pay a $100,000 credit card bill shortly before her confirmation hearing, offering access to administration officials in return. The donor did not pay.
- promoted the business interests of a Greek construction and energy company and let its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.
- was recorded discussing private jet travel and luxury hospitality from wealthy Greek businessmen.
Guilfoyle denies all of it. "These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity," she wrote on X. Her lawyers say the money she sought was payment for speaking engagements and appearances that predated her nomination, and that she followed State Department guidance on travel. Her lawyer also disputed the authenticity of messages the Journal cited, Axios reported.
The day before she left, Trump told reporters he was "looking at it." "We're not happy," he said. A U.S. official told AP the State Department's inspector general is looking into the allegations; the department declined to comment. Democrats in Congress, including Rep. Gregory Meeks and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, have called for an investigation.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and California prosecutor, was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr.
"When this conflict is over"
The sharpest moment on the economy came from Keshon Wheatley, a Detroit barber who said he voted for Trump in 2020 and 2024 but will vote for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed over Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race because of gas prices.
Vance blamed two things. Under Joe Biden, he said, "we had about 20% of American refining capacity that went offline." And Iran's threats to shipping during the war have pushed prices up. "When this conflict is over, we are going to see gas prices come down," he said, arguing that without the U.S. Navy protecting shipping, prices would be "three times as high."
To a small-business owner struggling with costs, he said it is "gonna take more than 18 months to fix things," but "we're turning the ship around."
The war, and a widower's question
Asked why the U.S. had not decisively won the war with Iran, Vance said "in some ways we have won decisively," but "the enemy gets a vote here." The administration wants a "final firm commitment" from Iran that it will not rebuild its nuclear programme, he said.
Joey Amor, whose wife, Master Sgt. Nicole Amor, died in Kuwait, said "a lot of fundamental failures" preceded her death and asked how leaders would be held accountable. Vance said "sometimes information doesn't filter up to me" and pledged to "take every single failure extremely seriously."
Immigration and 2028
On immigration, Vance said most ICE agents are "amazing people who are patriots," though some "really screw up." On his earlier remarks about H-1B visas, he said: "To the extent that my rhetoric has been imperfect here, that's on me. My goal here is not to dehumanize any immigrant."
And on 2028: asked if there was a chance he would not run, Vance said, "Of course there's a chance. I'm a procrastinator. I hate thinking about it."
What to watch
The inspector general. Whether a formal investigation into Guilfoyle's tenure is opened, and whether its findings are made public.
Michigan. Whether voters like Wheatley, who backed Trump twice, break toward Democrats in the Senate race over costs, with the midterms on November 3.
Gas prices. Vance tied relief to the end of the conflict with Iran. The administration has not given a timeline.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. Quotes from the town hall are from CBS News and Fox News. The allegations against Kimberly Guilfoyle were reported by The Wall Street Journal and have not been proven; she denies them. The photo is an official portrait, not from the town hall.
