Who is Herschel Walker? He is Trump’s surprised pick for US ambassador to the Bahamas

When President Donald Trump announced Herschel Walker as the newest US ambassador to the Bahamas, it was surprising.

Walker is a longtime friend of Trump and known for his athleticism on the football field but made his mark on the political scene when he ran for a Senate seat in Georgia in 2022 against Ralph Warnock, but was unsuccessful–due in part to allegations of paid abortions while running as an anti-abortion candidate.

Here’s what to know about Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker acclaimed fame as a star running back for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning the Heisman trophy in 1982, and spent his first few years of professional ball in the United States Football League before it moved on to the NFL.

At 62, he graduated last week from the University of Georgia and completed his degree in housing management and policy, 42 years after he played his last college football season there in 1982.

Walker joined the New Jersey Generals, a United States Football League team that was owned at the time, by Trump. Trump said in his book, “The Art of the Deal” that he often criticized the team’s coach for not properly utilizing Walker’s talent on the field.

Walker is new to ambassadorship and has no previous diplomatic experience, and neither does he have any obvious relations to the Bahamas.

The United States has not had a permanent ambassador to the Bahamas in over ten years, with several nominees stuck in limbo because the Senate never approved their appointments.

Photo credit: AP