ATLANTA, Ga. – President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Georgia football great Herschel Walker to be the ambassador to the Bahamas.
“Herschel has spent decades serving as an ambassador to our nation’s youth, our men and women in the military, and athletes at home and abroad,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Walker, a Republican, tried to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock two years ago with Trump’s endorsement. Walker benefited during the campaign from nearly unmatched name recognition from his football career at the University of Georgia and in the NFL. But he fell short in his efforts, unable to overcome a bevy of damaging allegations, including claims that he paid for two former girlfriends’ abortions despite supporting a national ban on the procedure.
He campaigned for Trump this year in his home state of Georgia.
Walker was born in Augusta but raised elsewhere in Georgia.
To hold the ambassador position, Walker will need his nomination approved next year by the Republican-led Senate.
Trump said Walker, a “successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL great,” has been a “tireless advocate for youth sports.”
“During my first term, he served as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition,” Trump said. “Herschel has traveled to over 400 military installations around the world, removing the stigma surrounding mental health.”
Walker recently graduated from the University of Georgia, where he is considered the greatest running back in the state’s sports history.
“He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team. Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire nation proud because we know you will always put America first,” Trump said.
At the time of the election, Georgia’s Senate race drew national attention and was a battleground for control of the legislative chamber.
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