‘The View’ Alum Debbie Matenopoulos Pitches Herself as Next U.S. Ambassador to Greece

Following Kimberly Guilfoyle‘s resignation as the U.S. Ambassador to Greece amid allegations of improper conduct, Debbie Matenopoulos wants to step into the role. Matenopoulos, who was a panelist on the first two seasons of The View from 1997 to 1999, posted a video on Instagram where she pitched herself for the gig.

In the video, Matenopoulos wore a polo with the country’s flag and “Greece” written on it. She listed out the reasons why she feels she would be the right pick for Greece’s U.S. Ambassador.

“Number one, I speak the language,” Matenopoulos said. “It’s my first language before I even spoke English. Number two, I have a Greek passport. I have a Greek and an American passport. My entire family lives in Greece with the exception of my immediate family. I was the first person in my family to be born in America. Everyone else was born in Greece and got their citizenship after living here.”

She also pointed out that she “owns homes in Greece” and “travels to Greece every single summer and spends quite a bit of time there.” Matenopoulos noted, “I understand the politics, I understand the government, I understand the people. I have many connections. And I love the country.”

 

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While she admitted that the U.S. and Greece have “great relations,” she said she believes they could “have even better relations that we already do.” Matenopoulos said she meant “no disrespect” to Guilfoyle, and added, “You don’t need any qualifications, really, to be a U.S. Ambassador to any country. You don’t even need a college degree. You don’t need a diplomatic background. You don’t need a life in politics. You just need to be an entrepreneur, a successful businesswoman or man, or a political donor. And you have to be appointed by the president and approved by the U.S Senate, or you could, obviously, be nominated.”

She also added in that she has “two very successful best-selling Greek cookbooks” and a “very successful Greek skincare line.”

In conclusion, Matenopoulos said, “I basically scream from the rooftops, ‘I am Greek, hear me roar. Our country is the best.’ But I also do that for America because I am a Greek-American. I don’t know, this is my plea to the president and to the Senate and the people of America and Greece: Please let me represent you as your new U.S. Ambassador to Greece.”

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She also reiterated her “qualifications” in the caption of the post: “New York University Journalism Degree. Hand picked by arguably the most important influential female journalist of all time, Barbara Walters, to be on The View straight out of college. 30 years experience on live television and public facing persona. Speak, Read and Write Greek.  Spend nearly every summer since birth in Greece. Love America and Greece equally and want to deepen and improve relations between both of my homelands for future generations.”