WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he wants ally Kari Lake to be the next director of the Voice of America, a federal network that’s part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Trump said on Truth Social that Lake would be nominated by the next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a pick he said he would announce “soon.”
Trump said Lake would “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.”
VOA representatives did not immediately respond to questions about the processes for nominating and approving a new director, as well as what Trump’s announcement could mean for the current director, Michael Abramowitz.
Lake said on X she was “honored” by Trump’s announcement.
“Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide,” she said. “Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I look forward to leading the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The VOA’s stated mission is not to promote America’s achievements; rather, its website says it is “committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth.”
The VOA also emphasizes a “firewall” that its website says “prohibits interference by any U.S. government official in the objective, independent reporting of news, thereby safeguarding the ability of our journalists to develop content that reflects the highest professional standards of journalism, free of political interference.”
Lake worked as a news anchor in Arizona for more than 20 years at KSAZ, the Phoenix Fox affiliate. In the years since she parted ways with the news industry, she ran failed bids for both the Senate and governor of Arizona.
On the campaign trail, Lake positioned herself as a staunch ally of Trump and a fierce critic of the industry she once belonged to. She taunted journalists as being “fake news,” saying at the Republican National Convention that they have “worn out your welcome.” She tried to discredit reporters, arguing that journalists have “spent the last eight years lying about President Donald Trump,” leaning into an unfounded right-wing claim.
Lake has also embraced debunked election denialism about the 2020 election and touted false claims that the 2022 governor’s race was stolen from her.
The VOA has a broad international reach, with a global weekly audience of about 354 million people and programming in 49 languages, according to its website.
Trump previously faced criticism for his 2020 appointment of Michael Pack to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Pack was accused of undermining the independence of the networks he oversaw.
Trump posted about Lake alongside a handful of other administration announcements on Truth Social. He also said Wednesday night that he wants Leandro Rizzuto to be ambassador to the Organization of American States, Peter Lamelas to be ambassador to Argentina, Daniel J. Newlin to be ambassador to Colombia and Michael J. Rigas to be deputy secretary of state for management and resources.
