Kari Lake, senior adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, praised President Donald Trump's immigration stance Thursday on Newsmax, comparing his leadership to an "elephant surrounding the vulnerable" and defending the administration's toughness on illegal immigration.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Lake strongly defended Trump's immigration policies and criticized what she described as liberal hypocrisy on due process and victim advocacy.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller "said it perfectly," Lake said, referring to Miller's earlier remarks to the press. "I mean, he did a master class in how to school this insanity that's coming out of the mainstream media."
Miller had accused journalists of advocating leniency for illegal immigrants who commit crimes while living far removed from the consequences of those policies.
"You all choose to live in condos or homes or houses as far away from these kinds of [communities] as you possibly can," Miller told reporters in a press briefing. "If I offered any one of you a rent-free home with no taxes to pay in any of these neighborhoods … I couldn't pay you to live there. But yet you, with your coverage, are trying to force innocent Americans to have these people as their neighbors."
Lake echoed Miller's message.
"The people sitting in that room trying to stick up for murderers and rapists and gangbangers — they're living in fancy high-rise apartments. They're living in safe neighborhoods," she said. "They always forget who didn't get due process. And it's the victims who have died at the hands of fentanyl dealers, who died at the hands of rapists, cartel members, [and] those who've been abducted. And frankly, it's the children who've been trafficked as well."
She referenced former Vice President Kamala Harris's metaphor from a speech on Wednesday at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco to describe Trump's role in immigration policy.
"It was something that I heard a little bit ago from Kamala Harris that really stuck out. She talked about the elephant surrounding the vulnerable," Lake said.
"You know, that's exactly what President Trump is doing with this administration. His policies are helping those who are vulnerable — the American taxpayer, the American middle class, which is just fledgling right now."
Lake said she believes the country is poised for a comeback under Trump.
"Under President Trump, we'll see a resurgence," she said. "So I'm still 100% in support of what this administration is doing. And I don't think for a minute the American people are listening to the mainstream media or buying what they're selling."
Lake's comments come amid renewed debate over enforcement of immigration and media coverage following Miller's forceful recent rebuke of liberal journalists who, he argued, show greater concern for noncitizens than for Americans.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.