Kari Lake spent years positioning herself as one of Donald Trump’s fiercest defenders.
She embraced his election claims.
She campaigned relentlessly for his agenda.
She lost races for governor and Senate in Arizona and refused to accept the political consequences in the way most defeated candidates eventually do.
Then Trump returned to the White House.
So surely, after all that loyalty, Lake would have found a comfortable place in the administration.
Except she hasn’t.
Instead, her Washington career has turned into something resembling a revolving door of almost-jobs.
And her latest possibilities are somehow getting stranger by the week.
First Came Voice of America
Lake’s first major Trump administration opportunity was supposed to be a big one.
Trump selected her to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federal agency overseeing Voice of America and other international broadcasting operations.
But the appointment immediately ran into a problem.
Lake was never confirmed by the Senate.
Instead, she became an adviser at the agency, where she oversaw a dramatic restructuring that eliminated the vast majority of its workforce. According to Queerty, more than 1,000 employees were affected. A federal judge later invalidated the actions she took, ruling that her position and the authority she exercised were unlawful.
That is not exactly the kind of résumé bullet point most people put on LinkedIn.
Then Trump Found Another Place to Put Her
With the Voice of America chapter collapsing, Trump offered Lake another potential escape hatch:
U.S. ambassador to Jamaica.
On paper, an ambassadorship might sound like a major promotion.
In reality, Lake’s nomination has become another political headache.
Republican senators advanced the nomination, but she still has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, former U.S. ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia, a Republican appointed during Trump’s first term, publicly opposed the choice. He told the Miami Herald that Lake was not the right person for the job and questioned her qualifications.
That is a particularly awkward endorsement or rather, lack of one from someone who actually held the position.
“They Had to Park Her Somewhere”
The bluntest assessment came from Luis Moreno, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica during the Obama administration.
Speaking to the Miami Herald, Moreno suggested that the Jamaica nomination wasn’t really about finding the best person for the diplomatic job.
His interpretation was harsher:
“They had to park her someplace.”
Moreno called Lake a “lightweight appointment” and said he would expect “lightweight efforts” from her if confirmed.
For someone whose political brand is built around being one of Trump’s most loyal warriors, that’s not exactly the kind of career trajectory you’d expect.
And Now She’s Being Floated for White House Press Secretary
Then came the latest twist.
After Karoline Leavitt announced she would leave her position as White House press secretary at the end of August, speculation immediately began about who would replace her.
Among the names being discussed?
Kari Lake.
She isn’t the clear favorite. Recent reporting has identified several other contenders, including Scott Jennings, Alina Habba, Anna Kelly, Matthew Boyle, and others. But Lake’s name has entered the conversation nonetheless.
And that has created one particularly funny problem for the internet.
Lake is currently trying to become ambassador to Jamaica.
The press secretary job is in Washington.
So, as people online immediately pointed out, she can’t exactly serve as both simultaneously.
Then again, she also hasn’t been confirmed as ambassador.
Which makes the whole thing feel even more like political musical chairs.
The Pattern Is Becoming Hard to Miss
Taken separately, each development is explainable.
Trump wanted Lake at USAGM.
A judge blocked the legal basis for her authority.
Trump then nominated her for an ambassadorship.
The confirmation process stalled.
Now another administration vacancy has appeared.
But put all of those events together, and a much more awkward narrative emerges:
Lake keeps being considered for jobs, but none of them seem to stick.
And the obvious question becomes why.
Trump clearly values her loyalty.
But loyalty and competence are not the same thing.
Her Political Track Record Has Become a Complicated Asset
Lake’s electoral history isn’t particularly reassuring.
She lost the 2022 Arizona governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs.
She then lost her 2024 Senate campaign to Democrat Ruben Gallego.
Even after those defeats, she continued insisting that she had effectively been cheated out of victory.
Her ability to maintain influence despite repeated electoral losses demonstrates how much value Trump places on loyalty and media combativeness.
But it also creates an unusual problem for the administration:
What do you do with a political ally who is extremely loyal but difficult to place in a conventional government role?
Kari Lake to Rep. Greg Stanton: "I remember the stories about you where they said you had a gay lover." pic.twitter.com/dlGpIcNehL
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) June 25, 2025
Her Record on LGBTQ+ Issues Adds Another Layer of Irony
For Queerty, Lake’s possible appointment to Jamaica carries an additional complication.
As a candidate, she repeatedly attacked LGBTQ+ people and particularly targeted drag performers, including spreading false claims about drag queens and schools.
Yet a Phoenix drag performer known as Barbra Seville has publicly described Lake as a longtime friend, saying she had performed for Lake at private events and even in her home while Lake’s children were present. Lake had also interviewed Seville during her television career.
That contradiction has fueled accusations of political opportunism.
It is especially notable given that Jamaica has its own contentious history surrounding LGBTQ+ rights, making the ambassadorial post potentially more politically complicated than a simple ceremonial appointment.
The Bigger Issue Is What “Qualified” Means in Trump’s Washington
Presidents have always appointed allies.
That’s nothing new.
Ambassadors have historically included major donors, political supporters, business figures, and personal friends.
But Lake’s situation has revived an older Washington argument:
Does loyalty qualify someone for a serious government job?
Her supporters would likely argue that Trump’s administration needs people who share its worldview and can aggressively execute its priorities.
Critics argue that ideological loyalty cannot substitute for experience.
The court battle over her USAGM role gave that criticism a concrete foundation: a federal judge found that she had exercised authority she did not legally possess.
Her Supporters Still See a Future for Her
Despite everything, Lake remains politically relevant.
Trump has repeatedly shown that he does not easily abandon loyal allies.
Her name continues to appear whenever an administration position becomes vacant, which itself demonstrates that she remains part of Trump’s political orbit.
And if the White House ultimately chooses her for another role, it would hardly be the first time a politically controversial figure has been given another chance.
That’s one of the defining characteristics of Trump’s political operation:
Failure doesn’t necessarily end a career.
Sometimes it just sends you looking for the next job.
For Now, Kari Lake Is Still Waiting
Lake’s Jamaica nomination remains unresolved.
The White House press secretary job is also still unsettled.
And her previous USAGM tenure has already been severely damaged by court rulings.
So the woman who once seemed destined for a prominent role in Trump’s Washington finds herself in an unusual position:
she remains highly visible, deeply loyal, and seemingly indispensable to the MAGA ecosystem—yet somehow still can’t find a government job that actually sticks.
That may be the most revealing part of the entire saga.
Because in Trump’s Washington, getting noticed can be easy.
Getting a title is possible.
But finding a position that survives the courts, the Senate, the press, and reality?
Apparently, that’s the hard part.