Trump's emissary who called Nicușor Dan during a conference was fired. The dispute ignited by "insane" emails that he

Trump's emissary who called Nicușor Dan during a conference was fired. The dispute ignited by "insane" emails that led to his dismissal. Paolo Zampolli claims he was not "surprised" that he was fired after a known publication from Brussels detailed the dispute, via email, with the Trump administration's Vice Secretary of State. The controversial political representative from the U.S. Department of State, involved in an email dispute with the Trump administration's Vice Secretary of State, was dismissed from his position as special envoy just hours after Politico published an article describing the conflict. A U.S. official confirmed on Thursday that Paolo Zampolli had been fired, specifying that his status as "special envoy has ended and he is no longer employed by the government" from Washington, announced the American edition of Politico. When asked to comment on his dismissal, Zampolli stated, through a press release: "Serving President Donald Trump and the United States has been the greatest honor of my life. I am deeply grateful to President Trump, Secretary (Marco) Rubio, and the entire teams." "Now the time has come for the next chapter – back to business, building relationships, and closing deals," Zampolli added in the release. He specified that Trump had told him: "Why do you want to work in public administration when you can close all these deals?" In a short phone interview, Zampolli stated that he was not "surprised" that he was dismissed following the article published by Politico. Paolo Zampolli, a personal friend of Trump, was fired hours after Politico published an article on Thursday describing a conflict he had with the Vice Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, via email, several months prior. The two officials disagreed on the matter of authority and command chains, with Landau trying to keep Zampolli focused on his role as cultural envoy. The conflict is remarkable not only because of personal attacks and defamation accusations but also because some of the email chains included over a dozen government officials, including Dan Scavino, the President's personnel director. Zampolli gave two extensive interviews to Politico, in which he harshly criticized Landau and stated that he "attacked me from the first day" and "tried to destroy everything we had done." In the 1990s, Zampolli worked as a modeling agent, representing Melania Trump and presenting her to Trump. Zampolli was appointed to the Kennedy Center board during the first Trump administration, and the President appointed him as the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships during the second administration. In this role, Zampolli was required to represent the United States at global cultural events and form cultural partnerships around the world. However, according to the emails obtained by the Brussels publication, Zampolli had moved far from his duties and met with foreign officials to discuss matters unrelated to cultural issues. At one point in June, Zampolli accused Landau in an email – which also included over ten other officials – that Landau was the source of a leak for an article published in The New York Times (NYT). Although Zampolli did not specify what article was being referred to, the details he provided correspond to an NYT article published in March, in which it was reported that Zampolli had asked the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport Amanda Ungaro, his daughter's mother, to Brazil to help her obtain custody of her son. Zampolli denied that he had asked ICE to detain the woman. Instead, Landau denied disclosing information to the NYT, replying by email: "Your threats and accusations are becoming increasingly bizarre, defamatory and inappropriate to be disseminated widely by email. We have no idea what you are talking about." Landau, who was Zampolli's direct superior until July, ordered him to stop sending "insane emails until I receive further instructions from the White House on how to proceed." The Incident in Romania At the end of August, while in Romania, Paolo Zampolli called Nicușor Dan in front of the press. The President of Romania did not answer but called back after a minute. On August 27, the park "Donald Trump" was inaugurated in Sector 4 of Bucharest. Mayor Daniel Băluță invited Paolo Zampolli. In previous positions, Zampolli described himself as an envoy of President Trump, especially in the tourist and representation areas. Băluță and Zampolli sat at the table. They talked. At one point, Zampolli said: "I will call someone very special." He called. Initially, the recipient did not answer. Then, in a minute, the called person called back. It was Nicușor Dan, his voice being easily recognizable because Zampolli put him on speaker. The dialogue took place in English. "Mr. President, I called you because I am at the park and President Trump asked me to convey your personal thanks to you and the Romanians. The project is wonderful," said Zampolli. Nicușor Dan replied that he was at the Romanian Embassy in Chișinău and preparing for a meeting with President Maia Sandu. "So, did you see the park?" Nicușor Dan continued in the conversation with Paolo Zampolli. "Yes, I want to thank you very much. The next time I return to Romania we will go together. I look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks in New York," said Zampolli. "It will be a great pleasure," Nicușor Dan replied, wishing Zampolli success in his future visit to Uzbekistan. Then the two ended the conversation. Who is Zampolli Paolo Zampolli's official position to date has been "special envoy of the President of the United States for global partnerships." He has been noted as one of the figures associated with the Washington administration in politics and public life in Romania. Zampolli played an important role in the meeting, however frugal, between Nicușor Dan and the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on February 19, 2026, from Washington, according to Cristina Cileacu from Digi24, a journalist with authority in international politics. At the beginning of September 2025, Zampolli met with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The spring of 2026 further brought Paolo Zampolli into public attention in Romania when it became clear that the park in Sector 4 would bear the name of President Donald Trump. Accused of drug use and rape Paolo Zampolli was recently accused by Victoria Drake, a 33-year-old model and entrepreneur in the technology field, of sexually assaulting her at her home in Manhattan in October 2023, according to Newsweek. Zampolli denied the accusations, stating to Substack PunchUp that they are part of an attempt to blackmail or harm him. The complaint was filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on September 3. The 56-year-old businessman, born in Italy, says that the lawsuit filed by Victoria Drake should be tried together with a criminal complaint he filed against Drake in Rome in April, in which he alleges that the woman tried to blackmail him. "Mr. Zampolli threatened our client with a $100 million lawsuit and accused her of blackmail, but our judicial executors repeatedly failed to deliver the summons to her, in the matters he is so eager to discuss publicly," said Jesse Weinstein, one of Drake's lawyers, to Newsweek. Weinstein added: "We made multiple attempts in good faith to make the notification and will continue to do so. If Mr. Zampolli wishes to contest Victoria's accusations, the right place to do so is in court, where both parties will be subject to the rules of evidence and judicial proceedings. Victoria immediately reported the alleged assault to the authorities and was subjected to medical examinations the next day. She is prepared to defend her accusations and will not be intimidated by threats, political connections, or efforts to prevent the hearing of these claims." Zampolli claims he introduced her to Trump and Melanie Zampolli has claimed in the past that he is the one who introduced Trump to the future first lady, Melania Trump, at a party organized by him during New York Fashion Week in 1998. Melania Trump had previously stated that she met her husband at that party, although she did not attribute the credit to Zampolli for introducing them. In a press conference held earlier this year, Melania Trump denied that the deceased sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein was the one who introduced her to Trump. "Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband, by chance, at a party in New York City in 1998," she said. What accusations Victoria Drake brought In Victoria Drake's complaint, it is mentioned that Zampolli approached her shortly after she attended the Zero Bond club in Manhattan on October 5th. They "said they recognized each other at Mar-a-Lago and shared the same admiration for President Trump," is mentioned in the complaint. Zampolli invited Victoria Drake and a friend of hers to his residence to drink something later that evening. She came with her friend and left there "without incident" around 2:30 AM, is added in the complaint. Zampolli invited her again to his home the next morning and sent her a message in which he said "I want to get to know you better," according to the complaint. Around 1:45 AM, on October 7th, Zampolli called Drake and invited her to his residence for a "meeting" with graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Drake considered it a "good networking opportunity" and arrived at his residence around 3 AM, is further claimed in the complaint. Upon arrival, Zampolli offered her a drink, and she "lost her memory," her last memory being that she was on the sofa and saw Zampolli "consuming large amounts of cocaine." The complaint also claims that, in the brief moments of consciousness, she remembered that she "lay on her back in a dimly lit, completely empty room, with the accused Zampolli lying above her and sweating profusely on her body, while he held her by both hands and penetrated her vagina." Drake claims that "she did not and could not give consent for any sexual contact" with Zampolli. According to the complaint, Drake filed a complaint with the New York Police Department the next day. Also, on the same day, she was subjected to a medical examination regarding sexual assault under the influence of substances and a forensic medical examination regarding sexual assault at a hospital in New York. Drake presented bruises on her left foot and hips and was prescribed medications to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, is mentioned in the complaint. According to the complaint, Drake continues to suffer "severe emotional and physical suffering" as a result of Zampolli's actions. Drake requests a court decision declaring that Zampolli is guilty of "illegal gender-motivated violence," prohibited by the New York City Administrative Code, as well as unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. She requested a jury trial. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for November 6th. According to Drake's complaint, Zampolli "activated in the same circle" as Epstein and they "bid together to acquire Elite Model Management in a public auction." Also, in the complaint, it is mentioned that Zampolli's name appeared in the files of Epstein made public by the U.S. Department of Justice after Congress adopted a law requiring the disclosure of documents from the Epstein investigation. However, the files contain emails and documents involving numerous high-ranking personalities, and mere mention in these documents does not constitute proof of committing an unlawful act. Zampolli was not accused of any unlawful act in connection with Epstein, a convicted sexual offender who committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for federal sexual trafficking charges. Earlier this year, Zampolli denied a series of accusations made by his former partner, Amanda Ungaro. She accused him of using influence to be deported to Brazil, in the context of a dispute over custody of their adolescent son. "Did I pull a rope? No. Was she in an illegal situation? That is up to them to decide," he stated in an interview given to Newsweek. He also denied any personal connection with Epstein. "I never had any personal relationship with Mr. Epstein. He was part of the social circle in New York – that's all," Zampolli added.