U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Defends Trump’s Iran Outreach Amid Brutal Crackdown
Kari Lake, acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, rejected Tuesday a report that the Trump administration isn’t doing enough to communicate its support to the Iranian people amid the country’s brutal crackdown on protesters.
Lake told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” that such criticism — which she repeatedly labeled “fake news” — falsely portrays the administration as failing to get President Donald Trump’s message into Iran.
“We’re working really hard to get information, and we want to get information in any way possible,” Lake said.
Starlink and virtual private networks could serve as pathways to reach Iranians cut off by Tehran’s restrictions. “Starlink is a great idea,” she added. “VPNs work.”
“Sometimes when the internet is shut off, you’ve got to go both ways, and we’ve been working really hard to get more VPN access for one of our grantees, Open Technology Fund,” Lake stated. She noted her agency “last week offered $10 million immediately to get that VPN service up and running” and is coordinating with State Department partners to secure additional funds.
The agency uses its platforms — including Radio Free Europe and Voice of America — to convey the message that President Trump is standing up for the Iranian people, that America supports Iran’s people and freedom for them.
Lake rebutted media narratives portraying U.S. efforts as insufficient. “The fake news has got their gaslighting machine out there trying to say we’re preventing President Trump’s message from getting in. Just the opposite,” she said.
Lake thanked State Department officials and lawmakers for working “really hard with us to push more VPNs to get the message in, because they’ve got to hide.” She added that Iranians risk retaliation if Tehran learns they accessed outside information.
Some media outlets have criticized Lake’s management and the broader information push, arguing core services have been weakened and outreach remains limited. One such criticism asserts organizational decisions hampered Radio Farda and other U.S.-funded broadcasts at key moments.
The debate over penetrating Tehran’s tight censorship intensifies as protesters face violent crackdowns — with the U.S. government sanctioning Iranian officials for abuses and Trump urging demonstrators that “help is on its way.”
Lake maintained her agency’s mission remains clear and ongoing: “Everything we’re doing at U.S. Agency for Global Media, whether it be Radio Free Europe or VOA, we’re trying to get that message out that President Trump is standing up for the people of Iran, that America supports the people of Iran and freedom for them — and frankly, a removal of what they’ve been going through.”
“And hopefully, they can celebrate freedom soon and get rid of this bloodthirsty regime that’s trying to hurt so many people,” Lake concluded.
