Trump taps Kari Lake for director of Voice of America

Sarah Fortinsky

December 11, 2024 at 10:31 p.m.·1 min read

President-elect Trump announced he is tapping Kari Lake, a former news anchor and staunch supporter of him, to head the government-funded news outlet Voice of America.

“I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday night.

Lake will “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,” Trump added.

Lake lost her Arizona gubernatorial bid in 2022 and her Arizona Senate bid last month.

Voice of America (VOA) is a media outlet with service in more than 40 languages. It provides news, information, and cultural programming through the Internet, mobile and social media, radio, and television, according to its website.

Lake, a frequent critic of mainstream media, was a Phoenix-based news anchor for more than two decades before entering the national political spotlight with her 2022 gubernatorial run.

“Kari was a beloved News Anchor in Arizona, which supported me by record margins, for over 20 years,” Trump wrote.

Lake campaigned with Trump ahead of November’s election, and the president-elect praised her debate performance against Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego (D), whom she lost to last month.

Lake has carried out several legal challenges that have been rejected in court to contend the results of the governor’s race in 2022, when she lost to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) by just 17,000 votes. Ahead of the 2024 election, she also dodged questions over if she would certify the 2024 election results if she became a senator, regardless of if Trump had won or not.

Updated at 10:47 p.m. EST

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