President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is nominating a former ambassador to El Salvador as his new ambassador to Mexico, meaning Kari Lake will not get that diplomatic job.
In a social media post, Trump didn’t mention Lake and instead touted Ron Johnson’s record as a former Green Beret and praised his tenure in San Salvador on behalf of the first Trump administration.
“Together, we will put an end to migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our Country and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
Lake had emerged in recent days as a possibility for the job despite having no prior experience in diplomacy or civil service of any kind. She has been mum on what comes next for her since her loss last month to U.S. Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
On Monday, the online publication Semafor described Lake as a “top contender” for the job after public speculation in Mexico that Lake was under consideration.
In a social media post of her own hours before Trump announced his Mexico pick, Lake wrote only, “It’s fun watching the Fake News embarrass themselves time and time again.”
Lake made border security her highest priority in her run against Gallego, saying illegal immigrants made crime and inflation in the U.S. far worse. She said she wanted to write the bill to finish Trump’s border wall as her first act in the Senate.
She has lost consecutive statewide elections for Arizona governor and Senate while casting herself as “Trump in heels.”
Lake has been active in conservative media since her latest loss, cheering Trump on his Cabinet picks and denouncing President Joe Biden, especially for pardoning his son Hunter Biden on weapon and tax crimes.
She attended the Conservative Political Action Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week, where she offered praise for that country’s president, Javier Milei, who rode to power promising deep austerity.
Throughout her Senate campaign, Lake was a prominent surrogate for Trump’s run for reelection and commanded national attention for her unswerving support for him and a penchant for controversial remarks.
Mediaite reported in November that Lake was in “active negotiations” with conservative broadcaster Newsmax, an account that Lake pushed back on at the time.
Trump’s ambassador to Mexico will help manage relations between the neighboring nations and with new President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October.
Trump won a second term in part by promising mass deportations as part of another crackdown on the southern border and threatening 25% tariffs placed on Mexican and Canadian imports unless those nations rein in illegal drugs, such as fentanyl, and illegal immigrants.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump nominates Ron Johnson, not Kari Lake, for ambassador to Mexico