Lake says VOA won’t be ‘Trump TV’

Kari Lake, President Trump’s choice to lead Voice of America (VOA), said the international state media broadcaster won’t be “Trump TV” under her watch. 

Lake said at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday that VOA will focus on “accurate” and “honest” reporting but also won’t feature “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a common refrain for Trump supporters criticizing mainstream media coverage of the president. 

“It won’t become Trump TV, but it sure as hell will not be TDSTV. You can find all the ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ that you want over on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, '60 Minutes,' The Washington Post and The New York Times,” she said. 

Lake previously served as a news anchor in Arizona before her unsuccessful runs for governor and Senate in the state. She has often spread misinformation, particularly on the COVID-19 pandemic and the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, eliciting attacks from critics. 

She refused to concede her defeat in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial race to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and pursued fruitless legal challenges to the results for years. She also fell short of conceding her loss to Sen. Ruben Gallego (D) in November, though she hasn’t pursued legal challenges. 

Lake said she feels “honored” that VOA has been “telling America’s story” for more than 80 years, though its coverage has sometimes been “incredible” and sometimes “pitiful.” 

“We are fighting an information war, and there's no better weapon than the truth, and I believe the VOA can be that weapon,” she said. 

Some conservatives have accused VOA, along with other publicly funded media, of left-wing bias in its coverage. Lake said she understood some calls for shutting VOA down but believes it can be improved. 

“But I believe it is worth trying to save,” she said. “With a relatively small budget, along with honest reporting, we can spread the values of freedom all over the world and prevent trillion-dollar wars.” 

Voice of America was first formed in 1942 to oppose Nazi propaganda and receives funding from the government, broadcasting all around the world. 

The president doesn’t directly appoint the head of VOA, but Trump has nominated conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which makes the decision. Bozzell needs to be confirmed by the Senate to take his post and then could select Lake.