President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has nominated Kari Lake to serve as director of the government-funded Voice of America, the nation’s largest international broadcaster.
The move comes after Lake, 55, lost his bid for the Arizona Senate against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in November.
“She will be appointed to and will work closely with our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which I will announce soon,” Trump said in a message on his Truth Social platform.
Lake, a former longtime news anchor in Phoenix, is a fierce Trump loyalist who also lost her campaign for Arizona governor in 2022. During her campaigns, she often echoed the false Trump’s claims regarding the 2020 election.
Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Voice of America, part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, broadcasts international news in 49 languages on radio, television and online to an estimated audience of 354 million people per week, according to its website .
It began broadcasting in 1942. It has approximately 2,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $260 million. USAGM is considered an independent federal agency.
In a social media post Wednesday evening, Lake wrote that she was “honored” to have been selected for the role, adding that “under my leadership, VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling American achievements around the world.”
Lake’s nomination must still be confirmed by the Senate.
During Trump’s first term in 2020, USAGM’s editorial independence is questioned after Trump named Michael Pack – a conservative filmmaker and close ally of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon – his CEO.
Pack Next made the decision not to renew the visas of 10 VOA journalists and dozens of others who work in networks under USAGM, increasing concerns among members of Congress and the international community about the possibility of ‘a reduction in the editorial independence of the VOA news media.
John Lippman currently serves as interim director of VOA, a position he has held since October 2023, while Amanda Bennett serves as CEO of USAGM.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.
