Kari Lake will be in charge of the largest and oldest government-funded international broadcaster in the United States.
Los Ángeles Press
President-elect Donald Trump announced Kari Lake, a former Arizona news anchor and vocal supporter, as the next director of Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government-funded broadcast network. The appointment will be made by the incoming head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, a move Trump described in a post on Truth Social.
In his statement, Trump emphasized that Lake, along with the new USAGM head, will work to 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.”
Lake’s appointment signals a significant alignment with Trump’s long-standing criticism of mainstream media, particularly its coverage of topics like China and the COVID-19 pandemic during his presidency.
Lake has become a prominent figure in the MAGA movement, receiving Trump’s endorsement for both her unsuccessful campaigns for Arizona’s Senate seat and the governor’s office. She has repeatedly echoed Trump’s criticism of the media, calling out its reporting as biased and misleading. Her appointment to VOA marks a further step in Trump’s push to reshape U.S. media and public broadcasting.
This move comes after a contentious relationship between Trump and Voice of America during his first term, particularly over its coverage of the coronavirus crisis and China. Michael Abramowitz, the current VOA director, assumed the role in July.
Kari Lake’s appointment to lead VOA signals a shift in the network’s leadership, with a focus on aligning the agency’s messaging with conservative values and perspectives, a change that could influence U.S. international media outreach.