Trump names replacement for Kari Lake after court throws her out of key role
President Donald Trump named the new leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Thursday, just one week after a federal judge ousted one of his allies from the post, according to a new report.
NBC News reported that Trump named Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to lead USAGM after Trump ally Kari Lake was ousted by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth last week. Rogers is a First Amendment lawyer who formerly represented the National Rifle Association, or NRA, and challenged social media companies for allegedly censoring the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and other conservative voices.
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that all of Lake's actions as USAGM were null and void because she was illegally serving in her position. The ruling invalidated a 500-person layoff at the agency announced in November 2025, according to the report.
A spokesperson for the Department of State celebrated Rogers' appointment in a statement to NBC News.
“USAGM’s mission has long been closely aligned with the Department of State, and the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy has always held consultative authorities with the agency,” the spokesperson said. “Rogers would be uniquely well-positioned to significantly strengthen coordination between U.S. international broadcasting and American public diplomacy in the national interest.”