U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has chosen Kari Lake, a former news anchor and staunch Republican ally, as the new director of Voice of America (VOA), a U.S. government-funded international media outlet.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated 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.”
Lake, a vocal supporter of Trump, has previously endorsed his unfounded claims of fraud in the 2020 election. She recently lost her bid for an Arizona Senate seat in November and had also been defeated in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race. Before entering politics, Lake was a news anchor for Phoenix-based Fox 10.
Voice of America is a global broadcaster operating in over 40 languages through online platforms, radio, and television.
During his first term, Trump frequently clashed with VOA, accusing it of spreading Chinese propaganda after it aired a segment featuring a light show celebrating the reopening of Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.
