Paolo Zampolli, a friend of President Donald Trump and a former modeling agent, has been fired from his position as a special envoy at the State Department following a bizarre year-long battle over email leaks, Politico reported.
A U.S. official told Politico on Thursday that Zampolli’s “status as an envoy has been terminated and he is no longer a government employee.”
The firing appears to mark the culmination of a nasty feud between Zampolli and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
According to Politico, the two top appointees had been locked in a monthslong fight that included accusations of leaks to the media and what the outlet described as “bizarre” threats of defamation, all playing out over emails that at times included more than a dozen administration officials.
The emails showed the two men clashing over the chain of command. Politico reported that Landau admonished Zampolli to stick to his assigned work on cultural issues, but that the exchanges devolved into bitter arguments and unproven allegations.
The messages stood out not only for their personal vitriol, but also because as many as 16 administration officials were included on the email chains at times. On at least one occasion, the dispute spilled over into communications with a top foreign official, offering a window into sensitive State Department back-channeling with allies over apparent violations of diplomatic protocol.
In one email dated Nov. 14, 2025, Landau issued a blunt directive to Zampolli.
“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.
“You have no authority to engage in ANY issues of foreign policy outside of cultural diplomacy, including all the issues you have named,” he added.
In another email, Landau accused Zampolli of working outside his “legal authority” and warned of “disciplinary action, dismissal, and legal liability.”
Zampolli denied the allegations to Politico.
Following his firing, Zampolli took to X to respond, striking a gracious tone toward the president.
He noted that special envoy appointments last one year and said President Trump had extended his for more than six months. Zampolli recalled that years ago, Trump told him he was too good for modeling and brought him 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,” Zampolli wrote.
“Serving him and the United States has been the greatest honor of my life,” he continued. “I am deeply grateful to President Trump, Secretary Rubio and the entire team.”
Zampolli said it is now time for his next chapter, which he described as getting back to business, building relationships and closing deals.
“President Trump changed my life once. He just did it again,” he wrote.
Zampolli has longstanding ties to the Trump family. He once represented Melania Trump when she worked as a model in New York City in the 1990s, and he has been credited with introducing her to Donald Trump at a party.
