Paolo Zampoli, a longtime friend of Donald Trump who maintained close contacts with the Serbian authorities, is no longer the special envoy of the American president. It could bury the last hope of the head of state to get closer to the White House
Paolo Zampoli, controversial American-Italian businessman and longtime friend Donald Trump, was left without the post of US special envoy for global partnerships, after a months-long conflict with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, US media announced.
In the background of that conflict was Serbia, where Zampoli maintained contacts with the highest representatives of the government for years, and during this year acted as a special representative of the American administration.
According to information from diplomatic circles, the Serbian authorities are after leaving Richard Grenell from Trump's entourage in Zampoli saw one of the few remaining channels towards the new American administration. According to the same sources, considerable political hopes and funds were invested in that channel through various contacts, visits and projects that were supposed to strengthen Zampoli's role as a mediator between Belgrade and Washington.
His dismissal for Belgrade is not just a personnel change in the American administration. With Zampoli's departure, one of the last informal channels that the Serbian authorities relied on in an attempt to reach Trump's entourage could be closed.
As he announced Politico, referring to the electronic correspondence of American officials, Landau had to personally intervene with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić to clarify the limits of Zampoli's powers.
According to that correspondence, Zampoli was allowed to come to Belgrade at the invitation of the Ministry of Sports. However, he contacted Đurić and other representatives of the Serbian authorities without proper authorization.
Landau told the Serbian minister that Zampola had no authority to represent the US administration outside of cultural diplomacy and apologized if his visit caused any confusion.
In February of this year, Zampoli met with the President of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabić, in Belgrade. The Serbian Parliament did not inform the public about the meeting, but Zampoli himself posted on Instagram.
He stated that they discussed the EXPO 2027 exhibition, the commemoration of 250 years of American independence and the American House project, with the message that he was looking forward to cooperation with his Serbian friends.
Zampoli's ties to Serbian authorities, however, predate his appointment in the Trump administration.
Back in January 2024, N1 wrote about his contacts with then high officials of Serbia, among whom were Ivica Dačić, Ana Brnabić, Novak Nedić, Marko Janković and Nemanja Stevanović.
He published joint photos with Serbian officials on social networks, and after the parliamentary elections in December 2023, he even congratulated Aleksandar Vučić on his re-election as president, even though the presidential elections were not held then.
During his February visit to the region, Zampoli also stayed in Banja Luka, where he met with the Prime Minister of Republika Srpska, Savo Minic. On that occasion, he promised that he would forward the document with the projects of Republika Srpska to the competent institutions in Washington.
In April, he also met with the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfiri, in Belgrade.
Special Envoy appointments are for one year. President Trump extended it for more than six months.
Years ago, he told me I was too good for modeling and brought me 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.
Serving him and the United States has been the greatest honor of my life. I am deeply grateful to President Trump, Secretary Rubio and the entire team.
Now it is time for the next chapter – back to business, building relationships and closing deals.
President Trump changed my life once. He just did it again. @POTUS @SecRubio
— Paolo Zampolli (@AMBZAMPOLLI) October 15, 2026
According to the correspondence he published Politico, Landau warned Zampoli as early as November 2025 that he must not engage in business outside of his jurisdiction. He accused him of unapproved activities in economic and commercial matters, with warnings of possible disciplinary and legal consequences.
Zampoli, on the other hand, claimed that his position depends directly on Donald Trump and not on the Deputy Secretary of State. During the following months, the conflict escalated into mutual accusations of leaking information and threats of action.
On October 15, American media announced that Zampoli was stripped of his special envoy status. He then thanked Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, presenting the departure as the end of the engagement and a return to business activities.
Zampoli is the former owner of a fashion agency and the man who claims to have introduced Donald Trump to his future wife Melania in 1998.
His case now also raises the question of the nature of the contacts that Serbian officials maintained with a man for whom the State Department itself had to explain that it had no authority to represent American foreign policy outside the narrow circle of its competences.
For Belgrade, however, the most important question is what remains after Zampoli. If he was indeed one of the last channels on which the Serbian authorities placed serious hopes after Grenell's departure, his dismissal means that that channel is now closed, and that the political capital and funds invested in its maintenance may have disappeared with it.
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