Drone captures images of Hurricane Melissa damage in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as it crossed the Caribbean, destroying homes, flooding roads and cutting off communications.
- President Donald Trump has appointed Kali Lake as the U.S. ambassador to Jamaica.
- The appointment follows a federal judge’s ruling invalidating Lake’s leadership decisions at the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
- If confirmed, Lake will face a Senate vote that includes his former political opponent, Sen. Ruben Gallego.
- Lake, a former broadcast journalist with no known diplomatic background, has expressed his love for Jamaica on social media.
President Donald Trump has appointed Kali Lake as ambassador to Jamaica, seemingly putting an end to her controversial work presiding over the dismantling of US-owned media organizations.
This means Mr. Lake could face a confirmation vote involving his former political opponent, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).
The White House’s May 11 announcement formalizes a change in direction and leadership at the U.S. Agency for Global Media after a federal judge in March invalidated all of Lake’s leadership decisions because he had not been confirmed by the Senate to head the agency he heads.
Days after the ruling, President Trump nominated Sarah B. Rogers, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, to head USAGM. Mr. Rogers and Mr. Lake argued that Mr. Lake still had a role to play within the agency, although it was not clearly defined.
Lake, a former Fox 10 anchor who worked in the Trump administration’s State Department, has no known diplomatic background. In a social media post, Lake thanked President Trump for the move.
“Jamaica is a country I know well and is home to many wonderful people. If confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our two countries, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building on the deep friendships that Americans and Jamaicans share,” Lake said. “I am honored to continue to serve in this historic administration!”
Lake’s action to shut down news media is challenged
In just over a year since arriving in Washington, Lake has become one of the Trump administration’s most prominent cheerleaders. She showed the same combative instincts in dealing with the national media that she showed in her 2022 gubernatorial and 2024 Senate races.
Last month, Lake spoke with CNN broadcaster Jake Tapper the night a would-be assassin allegedly tried to kill President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“I walked out right next to Jake Tapper and looked him in the eye,” Lake told conservative Newsmax shortly after the incident. “And I said, ‘Hello? You pushed a lie and caused so much division in this country. We no longer call it gaslighting. You lied to the people. How can you do that?’
Last week, Vanity Fair detailed speculation that Lake’s departure from USAGM was imminent.
She left USAGM fighting a lawsuit over her actions that essentially pushed the Voice of America into darkness more than a year ago. The organization dates back to World War II and was intended as a bulwark against authoritarian propaganda.
Mr. Lake carried out an effort by the Trump administration that he characterized as taxpayer-funded propaganda.
Jamaica recovering from Hurricane Melissa
Bilateral trade between the United States and Jamaica was approximately $3 billion in 2023, according to a 2024 State Department fact sheet.
If Lake wins the post in Kingston, it would likely end speculation about her future, at least for a while. Mr. Lake, an Iowa native, is said to be considering running for office in his home state, and his name has been floated for other government positions under the Trump administration as well.
The Caribbean island is still recovering from its first-ever direct hit by a Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Melissa, last October.
Lake said he has visited the island many times and has expressed his love for it over the years on social media.
“Lord, protect the people of Jamaica. I have been to this airport dozens of times and what I see in this video shocked me,” Lake wrote after Melissa.
In another post, she wrote, “I truly love Jamaica and the Jamaican people. It is heartbreaking to see what is happening and what is about to happen with the intense Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. It has been nearly 200 years since such a devastating storm hit the island. The people of Jamaica are truly amazing. They will need a lot of help once the storm passes. We are in our prayers right now.”
Even better, Lake wrote in 2017, “Go Jamaica! I will always be rooting for this wonderful, strong, beautiful island.”
The Trump administration has made counterterrorism in the Caribbean region a top priority, as well as eradicating drug cartels from the Western Hemisphere. The United States overthrew Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, and President Trump has been applying rhetorical pressure on Cuba.
