Trump picks Kari Lake to lead Voice of America

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Kari Lake to serve as the next director of Voice of America — the publicly funded broadcast network that drew his ire in his first term.

Lake, a former local news anchor and staunch Trump ally, will be appointed by the next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which Trump plans to announce soon, the president-elect said in a Truth Social post Wednesday. The U.S. Agency for Global Media oversees Voice of America.

Trump said in the post that Lake and the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media will work “to 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.”

Lake has mimicked Trump’s disdain for the media since she has become a MAGA lightning rod. She won his endorsement in both of her unsuccessful bids for an Arizona Senate seat last month and for governor in 2022.

Trump clashed with Voice of America during his first term in office for its reporting on China and the coronavirus pandemic.

Michael Abramowitz was sworn in as director of Voice of America in July.