'Shut them down': What happens to Kari Lake if Elon Musk gets rid of Voice of America?
Stephanie Murray
Arizona Republic
Feb 12, 2025
Elon Musk wants to shut down Voice of America. It could put Kari Lake out of a job.
Two months after President Donald Trump backed Lake to helm the government-funded media outlet, Musk said it is time to “shut them down.”
The billionaire Trump ally leads the Department of Government Efficiency and in recent weeks has made dramatic moves to shrink the footprint of the federal government.
Musk turned his attention Sunday to Voice of America, which is funded by Congress.
“Shut them down,” Musk said on X, which he owns, endorsing the closure of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. “Nobody listens to them anymore … It’s just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.”
Musk’s comments come before Lake has even had the chance to take over as Voice of America’s new director. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Trump agreed with the idea of scrapping Voice of America, or if Congress has an appetite to cut its funding any time soon.
Still, landing in the DOGE crosshairs could create some uncertainty for Lake, a Trump acolyte who lost races in Arizona two election cycles in a row.
One Republican critic of Lake said he wasn't opposed to getting rid of Voice of America, but hoped Lake would remain employed outside of the Grand Canyon State and steer clear of running for office statewide.
“That might be a good idea, but what we fear is that she will now come back to Arizona and start trying to do something. So please, for heaven's sakes, do not shut down the Voice of America. We need Kari Lake to have a job, not here,” Arizona Republican consultant Tyler Montague said jokingly.
A Lake spokesperson did not comment on Tuesday.
Trump selected Lake to lead Voice of America in December. Lake was a longtime Phoenix news anchor before she pivoted to politics. She sparred with the media during her unsuccessful bids for Senate and governor, often deriding journalists as “fake news” on the stump.
Trump said 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.”
However, Trump does not have the power to install Lake in the role, which is approved by a bipartisan board, said former Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.
“The truth is, that job is not even really appointed by the president. It's appointed by the board that oversees the umbrella agency that oversees Voice of America," said Salmon, who dropped out of the GOP gubernatorial primary against Lake in 2022. "It is not a presidential appointment, does not require Senate approval. It's a lower-level position.
"Maybe he'll find her some other low level position to put her in."
Voice of America began broadcasting in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda during World War II. President Gerald Ford signed its charter into law in 1976, which directed that the outlet “present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.”
Voice of America is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media and has an annual budget of $267.5 million and has more than 2,000 employees, according to its website. The organization has an estimated audience of 362 million people and has programming in 49 languages.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is somewhat smaller than Voice of America, its website says, operating with a $142.2 million annual budget and reaching an estimated 47 million people. The outlet also is overseen by the United States Agency for Global Media.
Trump and Musk also cannot unilaterally shutter the programs, Salmon noted. The president’s executive moves to freeze federal funding and offer a deferred resignation program to federal employees are already caught up in court.
“Once money is appropriated and a program is created by Congress, only Congress can get rid of that,” Salmon said.
The United States Agency for Global Media referred The Republic’s questions to the White House. In turn, the White House did not comment.
“Your questions are more appropriate for White House communications staff,” the U.S. Agency for Global Media said in an email. “USAGM and VOA both look forward to Mrs. Lake joining the organization.”
The Voice of America director is decided by the bipartisan International Broadcasting Advisory Board, not the president himself. Mike Abramowitz has been Voice of America's director since June 2024.
After being named as Trump’s preferred choice to run the state media outlet, Lake called the organization “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.”
“Thank you for putting your trust in me, President Trump. I look forward to leading the Voice of America, and I can’t wait to get started,” she said in December.
And months before he took aim at Voice of America, Lake also featured Musk in an Instagram post in November. She said it was “great to meet the Legendary Elon Musk” and praised his efforts to “shrink down” the government.
“Had a chance to thank him for saving our First Amendment so we Patriots could speak FREELY,” Lake wrote. “So glad he will help shrink down our out-of-control US Government and support our most important rights—our First and Second Amendments.”
Richard Grenell, who Trump named as his special presidential envoy for special missions, also endorsed scrapping Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. Grenell floated the idea first, and Musk chimed in publicly a day later.
“Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are media outlets paid for by the American taxpayers. It is state-owned media. These outlets are filled with far left activists,” Grenell said on X. “I’ve worked with these reporters for decades. It’s a relic of the past. We don’t need government paid media outlets.”
Montague, the GOP consultant, said calls to close Voice of America shouldn't be viewed as a slight against Lake or an assessment of her standing in Trump's inner circle.
"Musk just shoots from the hip and goes for it, and they're moving fast," he said. "I don't think they sat and calculated out, oh, it's going to offend Kari Lake or whatever. I gather that it hasn't even crossed his mind."
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