In her RNC speech, Kari Lake played the same tired MAGA hits

Kari Lake just can’t help but play the hits.

When taking the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, the former newscaster and Republican candidate – who can’t decide whether she wants to be governor or a senator – immediately defaulted to regurgitating stale, empty talking points about “fake news.”

“Welcome, everybody in this great arena. We love you all,” Lake said before pausing. “Actually, wait a minute. I don’t mean that. I don’t welcome everybody in this meeting, in this room. The guys up in the fake news – frankly, agh, you guys up there in the fake news have worn out your welcome.”

Even as former President Donald Trump has signaled that he plans to deliver a more unifying message in his Thursday night speech, Lake and others in the party have had a hard time moving off their brain-numbing junk.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, reportedly read the wrong speech Monday when the one loaded in the teleprompter called Democrats a “clear and present danger” to America. He later told PBS Newshour his speech was supposed to be a call to “heal and unify this nation.”

Lake also referred to Rep. Ruben Gallego, the Democrat she will likely face in the general election for the U.S. Senate in November, as “Joe Biden’s favorite congressman.” Note: Name-checking your probable Senate opponent at the RNC might be a sign that you’re losing. Lake also said Gallego “voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election,” which is completely false.


Gallego did not vote to let noncitizens vote. He voted against a bill that would require proof of citizenship for voting in federal elections. Under federal law, it’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Proof of citizenship is not required because it places too high a burden on many citizens who could be disenfranchised just because they lack the proper paperwork. Voters do have to swear to their citizenship when they vote and can be prosecuted when they do so illegally.

Lake also spent much of her short speech talking about the fentanyl crisis, which is one of the greatest challenges American officials face. But while Lake can point out the problem, her proposed fixes are light on details. “The solutions are simple. Stop the Bidenvasion and build the wall,” Lake told the crowd, seeming to forget that most fentanyl enters the country through official ports of entry.

The rest of Lake’s low-energy speech hit more of her favorite tired themes. She complained about Bidenomics and promoted MAGA-nomics, without really explaining the meaning of either. She vaguely decried “indoctrination” and “psychological abuse” being “inflicted” on children through the American education system.

Then she brought it all home, back to the GOP’s favorite target: the Fake News Media™ that stoops to reporting things like facts.

“The fake news wants us to believe we’re 50-50, at each other’s throat,” Lake said. “They’re creating division and anger. Americans are much more united than people believe.”

On that last point, she’s right. Looking back at the 2022 election for Arizona governor, most people agree Lake lost.