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Oh, the things we do when we’re in love.
We change our hairstyle, our clothes and sometimes our personality. We loiter in places where the object of our desire might encounter us. Some of us even repeat lies about stolen elections, make fools of ourselves on cable TV and destroy federal agencies we once hoped to lead. Anything to feel the warmth of our crush’s smile or increase the chances that he or she may wander over to ask for a stick of gum.
But how it hurts when that love goes unreciprocated! Who among us has not felt that sting of denial? So, spare a measure of empathy for poor Kari Lake.
The two-time failed Arizona candidate and former broadcaster has spent the last year laboring tirelessly (sort of) to get in the good graces of President Donald Trump. She’s tweeted endless praise of her dear leader and spouted his party line on third-tier right-wing cable networks. With dignity befitting her election record, she’s called Democrats gay. She’s sometimes even shown up to work at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, where she’s haphazardly attempted to run it into the ground.
And yet, for all that effort, Lake cannot get a face-to-face meeting with her boss. On Wednesday, The Atlantic reported that Lake was spotted in October cooling her “Trump in heels” heels in the White House lobby, hoping to secure an Oval Office tête-à-tête with the president. “Kari has been here for hours,” one White House aide told a GOP operative, according to the report. “She’s going to run, and she’s asking for the endorsement.” Trump has been throwing out endorsements like candy lately — two in the Arizona governor race! two in the race to represent Congressional District 1! — but no such endorsement was forthcoming for Lake.
“Eventually shared her pitch with a low-level aide,” The Atlantic wrote, “who conveyed no enthusiasm for a third Lake candidacy.”
A low-level aide! What an affront! Was Stephen Miller still in his crypt, waiting for the sun to set?
Lake, of course, has disputed that characterization of her snub. “Every shred of this question is incorrect,” she told The Atlantic, adding that “the President has always been very gracious and generous when I have requested time with him.” But it’s not the first time there have been reports about Trump cooling on Lake. During 2024, as Lake campaigned more at Mar-a-Lago than in Arizona, the Washington Post reported that Trump seemed to have written Lake off as a lost electoral cause.
The rest of The Atlantic’s report is worth a read. It chronicles the slow-motion car crash of Lake’s destruction of USAGM, which oversees Voice of America and its many subsidiary services that aim to broadcast independent news into countries and territories that lack access to information or are governed by authoritarian despots. Seemingly without authority to do so, Lake has named herself acting CEO of USAGM, attempted to fire employees en masse and tried to shutter agencies, only to face a series of lawsuits for doing so. When firing people hasn’t worked, she’s sent employees home on paid leave, a move that The Atlantic reported has now wasted close to $120 million in taxpayer money.
Despite her best (or worst) efforts, USAGM still exists, once again given a full appropriation by Congress for 2026. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Lake appears to be dreaming once more about the glories of elected office. Arizona seems to be salted earth for her, but late last year, MS NOW reported that Lake had purchased a condo in Iowa, where she was raised. That led to speculation that she might be considering a run for Senate in 2028, when Methuselah-aged Republic Sen. Chuck Grassley may finally retire. To this point, Lake has not confirmed those intentions.
If she’s waiting for a Trump endorsement, though, she might want to bring some reading material. It could be a while.
