Kari Lake, a former Arizona Republican candidate who twice failed to secure the votes of her state's constituents, is now being touted as a potential ambassador to Mexico for President-elect Donald Trump, according to Semafor.
This role, which could prove to be one of the most challenging ambassadorships of Trump's tenure, is being considered for Lake despite her previous electoral defeats.
Lake, a native of a border state, unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022, losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs. She also lost a Senate race in 2024 to Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego. Following her 2022 defeat, Lake echoed Trump's unfounded allegations of election fraud, a move that elevated her status among MAGA supporters and led to frequent invitations to Mar-a-Lago. Prior to her political career, Lake was a local television reporter.
The relationship between the U.S. and Mexico is expected to be fraught under Trump's administration. The President-elect has already declared his intention to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports unless Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum takes more decisive action to curb the influx of migrants across the Mexico-U.S. border. A similar threat has been made against Canada, despite the significantly lower volume of foot traffic across its border.
Trump's tariff would apply to "ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," he stated. "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump and Sheinbaum had a phone conversation on November 27, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago the day after Thanksgiving.
One of Trump's key campaign promises is a mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Sheinbaum expressed her desire on Thursday to negotiate a deal with the Trump administration to limit the number of third-country deportees ending up in Mexico. A similar agreement to send deportees back to their countries of origin is already in place with the Biden administration.
During her 2024 Senate run, Lake softened her stance on abortion but remained a staunch advocate for strict immigration policies, much like other members of the MAGA movement. She supported the completion of Trump's border wall, an increase in the number of asylum judges, and swift deportation of migrants who cross into the U.S. between ports of entry.
In an October debate with Gallego, Lake criticized her Democratic opponent for his reluctance to deport any illegal immigrants, while he accused her of wanting to deport 'Dreamers,' undocumented individuals who entered the U.S. as children. Lake argued that the U.S. needed to address the influx of migrants during what she termed the "Bidenvasion," stating, "We must send them back to their homeland."
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