Trump chooses Kari Lake as director for Voice of America
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has tapped Kari Lake as director of the government-funded Voice of America, the nation's largest international broadcaster.
The move comes after the 55-year-old Lake lost her Arizona Senate bid to Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in November.
"She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon," Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform.
Lake, a former longtime TV 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 Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.
Voice of America, which is part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, broadcasts news internationally in 49 languages on radio, television and online to an audience of an estimated 354 million people per week, according to its website.
It first began broadcasting in 1942. It has about 2,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $260 million. USAGM is considered an independent federal agency.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Lake wrote that she was "honored" to have been tabbed for the role, adding that "under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America's achievements worldwide."
Lake's appointment must still be approved by a bipartisan panel of seven known as the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. If approved, she would replace current VOA director Michael Abramowitz.
During Trump's first term in 2020, USAGM's editorial independence came into question after Trump named Michael Pack — a conservative filmmaker and close ally of one-time Trump adviser Steve Bannon — its CEO.
Pack subsequently made the decision not to renew the visas of 10 VOA journalists and dozens of others who work at networks under USAGM, increasing concerns by members of Congress and the international community alike over the potential of diminished editorial independence of the VOA news outlet.
John Lippman is currently the acting director of VOA, a post he's held since October 2023, while Amanda Bennett is CEO of USAGM.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the president's appointment for director of Voice of America must be confirmed by the Senate.
