In December, President Donald Trump said he wanted to appoint MAGA supporter Kari Lake as the next director of Voice of America. But when Trump returned to the White House in January, Lake’s job move hit a snag as POTUS’s “special government employee” Elon Musk and his DOGE team said that VOA should close.
By the end of March, almost all of VOA’s 1,300 journalists, producers and assistants were placed on administrative leave and Lake had been sworn in as a special advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which overseas VOA.
Although Lake has vowed to provide “unbiased” media across the agency, she has what’s left of VOA using the far-right, pro-Trump network One America News (OAN) to provide news coverage to VOA’s global audiences.
On Thursday, after Musk publicly criticized Trump’s “big beautiful bill” and accused the President of being “in the Epstein files,” Lake tried to downplay the fiery exchange on X and wrote: “It’s good to let off a little steam every once in a while. Do you agree? MAGA Forever.”
It’s good to let off a little steam every once in a while.
Do you agree?
MAGA Forever
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) June 6, 2025
Many MAGA supporters are voicing their disagreement with Lake on X. As one replied: “Elon calling @POTUS a pedo and threatening to sabotage a government contract because he’s angry about slashing spending on Solar while subsidizing oil and gas is not blowing off steam. He is putting his personal business interests ahead of the nation and it’s not the first time.”
Another wrote: “Lady I don’t know what you’re talking about. Him accusing Trump of being a pedophile and wanting him impeached is not blowing off a little steam! Wow.”
And another: “Sometimes I like to blow off a little steam without calling someone a pedo.”
The few who agree with Lake are leaving comments regarding the masculinity of Trump and Musk, including “This is just how masculine men with A-Type personalities argue,” and “Boys will be boys.”