Trump says he wants Kari Lake to helm Voice of America

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he wants ally Kari Lake to serve as the next director of the Voice of America, a federal network that's part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

In his post to Truth Social , Trump said that Lake would be nominated by the next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a pick he said he would announce "soon.



" Trump said that Lake would "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." VOA representatives did not immediately respond to questions about the processes for nominating and approving a new director, as well as what Trump's announcement could mean for the employment of the current director, Michael Abramowitz. Lake previously worked as a news anchor in Arizona for more than 20 years at KSAZ, the Phoenix Fox News affiliate.

In the years since, she parted ways with the news industry, she ran failed bids for both Arizona governor and senator. On the campaign trail, Lake positioned herself as a staunch ally of Trump and a fierce critic of the industry she once belonged to. Lake taunted journalists as being "fake news," saying during the Republican National Convention that they have "worn out your welcome.

" She attempted to discredit reporters, arguing that journalists have "spent the last eight years lying about President Donald Trump," leaning into an unfounded right-wing claim. Lake has also embraced debunked election denialism about the 2020 election and touted false claims that the 2022 governor's race was stolen from her. VOA has a broad international reach, with a global weekly audience of about 326 million people and programming in 48 languages, according to the outlet's website.

The outlet also emphasizes a "firewall" that VOA's website says "prohibits interference by any U.S. government official in the objective, independent reporting of news, thereby safeguarding the ability of our journalists to develop content that reflects the highest professional standards of journalism, free of political interference.

" Trump previously faced criticism for his 2020 appointment of Michael Pack to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Pack was accused of undermining the independence of the networks he oversaw..