WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump declared his desire for supporter Kari Lake to be the next director of Voice of America, a federal network that is a part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Trump stated in his post on Truth Social that the future leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media will nominate Lake, and he would make the announcement “soon.”
Lake was promised by Trump 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.”
Questions concerning the procedures for proposing and appointing a new director, as well as the potential implications of Trump’s statement for the employment of Michael Abramowitz, the current director, were not immediately answered by VOA spokespeople.
According to Lake’s post on X, she felt “honored” by Trump’s declaration.
“Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America s achievements worldwide,” she stated. “I appreciate you believing in me, President Trump. I’m excited to take over as Voice of America’s leader and am eager to get going.”
Instead of highlighting America’s accomplishments, VOA’s website states that the organization is “committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth.”
The organization also highlights a firewall that, according to VOA’s website, forbids any official of the US government from interfering with the impartial, independent reporting of news. This protects our journalists’ ability to create content that upholds the highest standards of journalism without being influenced by politics.
For more than 20 years, Lake was a news anchor for KSAZ, the Phoenix Fox News station in Arizona. She left the news sector and unsuccessfully ran for senator and governor of Arizona in the years that followed.
During the campaign, Lake presented herself as a strong supporter of Trump and a harsh critic of the field she had previously worked in. At the Republican National Convention, Lake called journalists “fake news,” claiming that they had “worn out your welcome.” Making the baseless right-wing accusation that reporters have “spent the last eight years lying about President Donald Trump,” she tried to discredit reporters.
In addition, Lake has promoted bogus allegations that she was cheated out of the 2022 governor’s campaign and accepted disproved election denialism regarding the 2020 election.
According to the outlet’s website, VOA has a wide global audience, with around 354 million viewers each week and content in 49 languages.
Trump has already come under fire for appointing Michael Pack to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media in 2020. Pack was charged with compromising the autonomy of the networks he managed.
On Truth Social, the president-elect shared a post about Lake along with a few other official announcements. Additionally, Trump stated Wednesday evening that he wanted Michael J. Rigas to be the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, Daniel J. Newlin to be the ambassador to Colombia, Peter Lamelas to be the ambassador to Argentina, and Leandro Rizzuto to be the ambassador to the Organization of American States.
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