President Donald Trump is shipping off two of his failed MAGA mouthpieces overseas.
Among the nominations sent to the Senate by the White House on Monday were diplomatic posts for failed right-wing gubernatorial candidates and election deniers Kari Lake and Doug Mastriano.
Lake, from Arizona, was nominated as the ambassador to Jamaica, while Mastriano, from Pennsylvania, was nominated as the ambassador to Slovakia. Both had previously lost gubernatorial campaigns in their respective battleground states in 2022 after they had parroted Trump’s groundless election lies.
“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,” Lake, 56, said in a post on X. “Honored to continue serving in this HISTORIC Administration!”
“I am deeply honored and humbled by President Trump’s nomination to serve as United States Ambassador to the Slovak Republic,” Mastriano, 62, said in a statement on social media. “Upon Senate confirmation, I look forward to representing our nation abroad, strengthening the friendship between our two countries, and advancing the interests of the American people.”
Lake, a former Fox 10 Phoenix anchor, refused to concede her 2022 gubernatorial loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs, which she lost by 17,000 votes, instead filing an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the decision.
Following her gubernatorial loss, she led a failed 2024 Senate campaign, losing to Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego. Despite losing by around 80,000 votes, Lake never issued a formal concession. In 2025, Trump appointed her as special adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
Mastriano also initially refused to accept his gubernatorial loss to Josh Shapiro, waiting five days after the election was called to formally concede. The army veteran also led a failed campaign for U.S. representative in 2018, finishing fourth among eight candidates for Pennsylvania’s 13th congressional district.
Among the Pennsylvania state senator’s controversies, which include ties to right-wing extremist organizations and a photograph of him wearing a Confederate uniform, Mastriano was a major figure backing efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in his state.
A Democratic colleague filed an ethics complaint against Mastriano in 2024, alleging that he violated his oath of office to uphold both the state and federal Constitutions.
Also included on Monday’s appointments announcement was the withdrawal of MAHA pick Casey Means as Surgeon General, while Fox News analyst Nicole Saphier was among the nominations.
