Kari Lake Swings the Wrecking Ball

The new head of the American international radio station Voice of America will be Kari Lake. With that, Trump could perfect his new media power.

Donald Trump has found the next candidate for his Cabinet of horrors with which he wants to govern the U.S. for the next four years: Kari Lake will lead the international broadcaster Voice of America.

According to its own figures, the station reaches 354 million people worldwide, broadcasts in 49 languages, has an annual budget of $267 million, employs some 2,000 people and is precisely the “right” field for Kari Lake to prove herself as a wrecking ball.

’I Will Be Your Worst Fricking Nightmare’

The former Fox News host who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Arizona in November 2022 and for the Senate in 2024, fervently trumpets to the world the fake news fairy tale of the presidential election that was “stolen” from Trump in 2020. When she ran for governor in Arizona, she already knew before Election Day that it would be wrong if she lost. Her rants against the press are legendary. “I’m going to be your worst fricking nightmare for eight years,” she promised reporters. “ We will reform the media as well. We are going to make you guys into journalists again, so get ready.”

Voice of America workers will now need to prepare for a hostile takeover. The station is publicly funded but takes pride in its journalistic independence and has even defended that independence in court against political interference from Trump during his first term.

She Will Tailor the Channel to MAGA

But now, Trump can name the director of the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees the Voice of America and other publicly funded outlets. The person Trump appoints could then promote Lake to the position of the Voice of America’s director. Lake will ensure that “the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Thanking Trump for the nomination, Lake wrote that, “Under my leadership, the VOA will excel in its mission: chronicling America’s achievements worldwide.” Those who have followed Lake’s career, her constant raging against “mainstream media” and her proclivity toward conspiracy theories (from the “deep state” to the COVID-19 plot) know that she means nothing more than tailoring the channel to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” message.

With Elon Musk as unofficial propaganda minister on his digital platform X, Truth Social and now U.S. international radio, Trump will round out the base of his media power. However, the Senate must first confirm his nomination for head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. It’s hard to believe he will face any opposition.