Trump appoints Kari Lake to head Voice of America news agency

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Kari Lake, a former newscaster and candidate for Arizona governor and U.S. Senate, to be the new chief of Voice of America, the government-funded worldwide news agency.

And leftists are melting down over the appointment of the longtime Trump supporter.

Just the News noted that Trump’s announcement said Lake will work alongside the next leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who has not yet been nominated.

Lake was a candidate for Arizona governor in 2022 and the U.S. Senate in 2024, and lost both races by narrow margins.

“I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America,” Trump explained in a posting on Truth Social. “She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, 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.”

It was the Daily Mail that described the Democrats’ “meltdown” over the appointment.

The report said, “A BlueSky account run by the Get More Smarter podcast, a show about Colorado politics hosted by Democrat operatives Jason Bane and Ian Silverii, wrote: ‘He’s really gonna make Kari Lake chief international propaganda minister holy s***.'”

And an ex-official for the Brooklyn Democratic party, David Schwartz, said on the same alternative social media site, “Putting Kari Lake in charge to monitor fake news is like putting a cat to watch over mice.”

And there was social media speculation about removing the current chief, Michael Abramowitz.

Lake’s own response: “I am honored … Voice of America is a vital international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people across the globe and promoting democracy and truth. … Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide.”

VOA has about 1,000 employees and its 2023 budge was in the range of $260 million.