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President Donald Trump on Monday nominated former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake to serve as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica, according to a White House announcement.
“Kari Lake, of Arizona, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Jamaica,” the statement said.
The nomination was formally sent to the Senate as part of a broader slate of presidential appointments.
“Thank you to President Trump for nominating me to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica,” Lake wrote in a post on X.
“Jamaica is a country I know very well, full of incredible people, and if confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our nations, advancing America’s interests abroad, and building on the deep friendship shared by the American and Jamaican people,” she added.
Lake, a longtime television news anchor in Phoenix, entered Republican politics in 2021 and quickly became a prominent ally of President Trump. She gained national attention during her 2022 campaign for Arizona governor, where she emphasized border security, election integrity and conservative policy positions.
She lost that race to Democrat Katie Hobbs and later ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. President Trump has continued to publicly support Lake, frequently praising her political messaging and loyalty.
If confirmed, Lake would represent the United States in Jamaica, a key regional partner with close economic and security ties to Washington. The ambassador role includes managing diplomatic relations and working with local officials on issues such as trade, migration and regional security.
The nomination now goes to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will review her credentials before a potential confirmation vote by the full Senate.
The announcement was part of a list of nominations sent to the Senate on Monday. Some of the other numerous nominees included Francis Brooke, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury; Cameron Hamilton, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security; and Brendan Hanrahan, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (European and Eurasian Affairs).
