Trump Announces Kari Lake to Lead Voice of America

On his platform Truth Social, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had chosen former Arizona senate and gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to lead Voice of America (Center bias).

The Details: Lake has been a vocal supporter of Trump and has over 20 years experience as a news anchor at KSAZ, the TV counterpart of Fox 10 Phoenix (Center bias). Lake ran for Arizona governor in 2022 and senator in 2024, where she was defeated both times by Democratic opponents. 

For Context: Voice of America is a federally-funded network that's part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. It was established in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda with unbiased information and news. It currently broadcasts in more than 40 languages and reaches more than 354 million people globally each week.

Key Quotes: Trump wrote that Lake will “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 said, "Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide."

How the Media Covered it: Axios (Lean Left bias) noted that in 2020, two top Voice of America officials resigned after the Trump White House accused the network of promoting Chinese propaganda aduring the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York Post (Lean Right bias) included that Voice of America has been criticized for "initially refusing to refer to Hamas members as terrorists."