Trump rewards MAGA darling Kari Lake with cushy new ambassador gig

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:35, 11 May 2026 | Updated: 22:35, 11 May 2026 Top Trump ally Kari Lake has been tapped for a new job. The failed Arizona gubernatorial and senatorial candidate is set to be appointed US Ambassador to Jamaica, according to nominations released by the White House Monday. Lake will now have to be confirmed by the US Senate to the post, a feat she has yet to achieve in any of her previously selected roles. Other notable nominations include Cameron Hamilton, who has been selected to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security for a second time.  Hamilton had been ousted by Kristi Noem after she moved to defund large parts of the agency, but he is up for another run at the job under the new leadership of Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Make America Healthy Again crusader Casey Means also had her nomination for the role of Surgeon General withdrawn by the White House. Presently, Lake serves as a senior advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). She was nominated to lead the Voice of America at the start of the Trump administration, but was never confirmed by the US Senate for the job. The 56-year-old Lake is a former television anchor who became a vocal proponent of Trump's 2020 'big lie' - that widespread fraud cost him reelection. Kari Lake attends the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC  Donald Trump (L) embraces Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake at a 'Save America' rally in support of Arizona GOP candidates on July 22, 2022 The skyline of Kingston, Jamaica That earned her two endorsements from the President, first when she ran and lost the 2022 Arizona governor's race for the Republicans to Democrat Katie Hobbs and, again, when she lost an Arizona Senate seat to Democrat Ruben Gallego two years later. Despite a current role in the administration, it was reported last November that Lake had hoped to mount a third political run - this time for an Arizona House seat - which she later told the Daily Mail was not in the picture. 'That is not in my plans,' Lake said during a red carpet appearance at the then-newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center. 'I'm actually very happy working for the Trump administration,' she said, adding, 'I'm excited about work every day.' She then made clear: 'So the answer is no.' Earlier reporting by the Atlantic painted a pitiful picture of Lake waiting in the White House lobby to bend Trump's ear in October. 'Kari has been here for hours,' a White House aide revealed to the magazine. 'She's going to run and she's asking for an endorsement.' Lake denied the Atlantic's reporting that she had been kept waiting for Trump to make her pitch. 'The President has always been very gracious and generous when I have requested time with him,' Lake said. 'If and when I decide to run for office, The Atlantic will be the last to know,' she also said. In April 2024, amid Lake's Senate run, the Washington Post, citing five sources, reported that Trump was growing annoyed with Lake for her frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago, at one point gently suggesting she leave the Florida resort and instead hit the campaign trail. While Trump won back the White House, including turning Arizona back to red from blue, Lake lost to Arizona's current Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego by 2.4 points that November. The president then selected Lake to lead the United States Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, which the twice-failed candidate attempted to shut down after it became a target of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. That effort had been hit by legal roadblocks, with Lake on uneven footing, having never been confirmed to her role by the US Senate. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.