President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Kari Lake as director of the Voice of America, using Congressional funds to expand her loyal following who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governorship and a U.S. Senate seat around the world. It was announced that he would be placed at the head of a broadcast station that provides independent news reporting.
Lake, an immigration hardliner, worked in Phoenix for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2021 after making a series of controversial statements on social media, including sharing COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic. He was a TV news anchor. She began her political career soon thereafter, quickly building a loyal following as she sparred with journalists and aligned herself with President Trump with sharp criticism of what she called “fake news.” He built a following and a national profile.
She endeared herself to Trump by dogmatically perpetuating the lie that both she and Trump were victims of election fraud. She has never conceded defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial race and lost last month’s Senate race by an even wider margin. Trump considered her as a running mate before choosing J.D. Vance as his running mate.
Trump has been harshly critical of the Voice of America in the past, saying in 2020 that “their statements are disgusting to our country.”
The station drew further criticism during President Trump’s first term for its early coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, and a White House publication called it “speaking for an authoritarian regime” for reporting on the lifting of lockdowns in Chinese cities. He accused them of using taxpayers’ money to do so. in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged.
VOA was founded during World War II and its Congressional Charter requires it to provide independent news and information to an international audience. He responded to Trump’s criticism by defending the reporting.
Upon taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration quickly removed a number of high-ranking officials aligned with President Trump from VOA and VOA-related positions.
Also Wednesday, President Trump announced his choice of Leandro Rizzuto to be the U.S. ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States, and said he wanted Florida personal injury lawyer Dan Newlin to be his administration’s ambassador to Colombia. .
He also selected Peter Lamelas, a physician and founder of one of Florida’s largest emergency medical companies, to be the U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Mr. Lamelas has also been a major donor to past campaigns of Mr. Trump and other Republican leaders.
