Former U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake publicly announced on Saturday, a day before President-elect Donald Trump endorsed another Republican candidate in the Arizona gubernatorial race, that she plans to step back from politics for the time being. suggested.
Lake was asked about his political future on stage at America Fest, an annual conference in Phoenix hosted by the conservative youth group Turning Point USA.
“I’m going to go help President Trump in Washington, D.C., and that’s what I’m going to do,” Lake said. Trump was recently tapped to head the government-funded international news organization Voice of America during his second term.
The four-day America Fest celebrating Trump and his MAGA movement, held this month in downtown Phoenix, heralded Trump’s return to the White House ahead of his second inauguration on January 20. . Trump was the headliner on Sunday’s remarks, but the speakers also included Lake, a Republican politician from Arizona.
Lake has become known nationally for fiercely defending baseless claims about U.S. elections, including the discredited idea that his loss in the 2022 election was “rigged.” . On stage, she cited the issue as one of the reasons she is stepping away from politics for the time being.
“We’re not where we need to be in the election. To be honest, that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to run again. Why endure that torture again?”
“Thankfully, President Trump’s victory was too big to cheat,” she said, imitating the president-elect’s catchphrase.
Mr. Lake was once a close ally of Mr. Trump, but relations reportedly cooled as the former president feared it could lower his electoral prospects in Arizona.
A day after Lake’s remarks, Trump encouraged Republican Karyn Taylor Robson to run for Arizona governor in 2026, telling her in a speech: “You’ll have my support.” .
Robson lost to Lake in the 2022 Republican primary for Arizona governor. Lake lost to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Karyn Taylor Robson: Donald Trump thanks Arizona, says he will support Robeson if she runs for governor
Trump allies preview policy battles
A number of other Arizona politicians took to the stage at AmericaFest to praise President Trump’s major initiatives and preview the policy battles unfolding ahead of the new administration.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) said he and “some” of his colleagues are preparing a bill ahead of President Trump’s swearing-in on Jan. 20.
“I’d like to see him sign a bill on the 21st that basically starts securing the border,” Biggs said.
Biggs said Tom Homan, whom Trump has dubbed the “border czar,” was asked about deporting “poor people who have been here for a while” during a recent meeting with other lawmakers. .
Mr. Biggs summarized Mr. Homan’s response to applause. “The moment they cross the border illegally, they break the law.”
Rep. Eli Crane (R-Crane) focused on the issue of federal spending.
He accused his moderate Republican colleagues of “gaslighting” his colleagues, including tech mogul Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump has accused of government efficiency efforts. He spoke in detail about the meeting he had with Mr.
Mr. Crane expected moderates to “tell Mr. Elon and Mr. Vivec why they can’t cut spending, why they can’t cut funding, as they tell us every week.”
Instead, they told two Trump allies that they “can’t wait to help cut spending.”
“There was even a level of gaslighting that you wouldn’t expect from a politician,” Crane said.
Arizona Republican Rep.-elect Abe Hamade emphasized his commitment to local law enforcement. He shared speaking time with Dave Goitia, president of the Glendale Fraternal Order of Police, who he criticized as “awakening extremist prosecutors focused on political pandering,” and said President Trump is “aware” of this year’s election. I supported the selection of Kash Patel, who supported Hamadeh, to head the Federal Police Bureau. investigation.
