Herschel Walker on President Trump: ‘He’s trying to do a lot of things’

Former Georgia running back and professional football player Herschel Walker has a long-established connection to the most powerful man in Washington, D.C.

Walker has a friendship with President Donald Trump that goes back to the early 1980s, when Trump purchased the USFL football team Walker played for. Walker appeared on season eight of Trump’s reality television program “The Celebrity Apprentice” and also supported Trump during his most recent run for president.

Now nearly 10 months into Trump’s presidency, Walker offered his take on what his former employer is dealing with.

“He’s trying to do a lot of things. I think it’s very tough,” Walker said. “My thing is I’ve been in Washington a lot over the last 20 years, and this is the first time where there’s so much diversity (sic), meaning people don’t get along. It’s sad that we have such a great country, and yet we continue to let this donkey and this elephant to divide us. Guys, we have to think about what’s best for this country.”

Walker explained the United States needs to get back to its laws, which he believes was the foundation of what made the country great.

“We were built on a country of laws, and I tell people all the time that it’s sort of like playing tennis,” Walker said. “If you’re a tennis player who can hit the ball wherever you want and I’ve got to hit it within the lines, it’s not going to be a good game. I think that’s what we’re forgetting about now.”

Walker said there are men and women in the military who are fighting for our freedoms while people within the country are fighting each other. In Walker’s opinion, the solution comes from the country’s elected officials standing up and making decisions.

“We’ve got to get people in Congress to come together,” Walker said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to make some tough decisions, and it may not be great for the minority, but it’ll be great for the majority. If we want changes, we’ve got to go to our Congress to get them changed. We’ve got to have people in the leadership that’s going to do that.”

Walker said he maintains a close relationship with the Trump family, adding he met with Ivanka Trump in the White House last week. Walker was in Washington to participate in the Congressional football game, an annual exhibition that pits members of Congress against the United States Capitol Police. The event raises money for the United States Capitol Police Memorial Fund, Our Military Kids and A Advantage 4 Kids, Inc.

Walker explained he spent quite a bit of time with Ivanka and her brother, Donald Trump Jr., during his days as a running back with the New Jersey Generals.

“I’ve known (Ivanka) ever since she was 5, and almost every place she went to like an amusement park, I was the one who took her and little Donald,” Walker said. “We’ve continued to have a relationship, and I continue to do a lot of work for most of their facilities. Being in the food business, people have to eat, so I continually sell food in different areas for them.”

Walker, 55, has established himself as quite the businessman in his post-football days. Along with numerous speaking engagements, he is the founder and CEO of H. Walker Enterprises LLC and its subsidiary Renaissance Man Food Services, LLC. He is also a spokesman for the Patriot Support Program and the director for Sotherly Hotels.

Walker’s experiences in and out of sports have provided lessons that he uses when he speaks to crowds.

“My message is always an uplifting one of never give up and never quit,” Walker said. “I had a lot of success at the University of Georgia, but I still had to get up because when I got into the business world it was almost like starting all over again. You get knocked down again because you’re starting from the bottom, and you have to work your way back up. That’s what I tell people all the time.

“They know me as a football player, but when I got into the business world, they couldn’t care less. They wanted to see how that bottom line was. It’s kind of tough. That’s what I try to tell athletes all the time and the military members as well. You’re going to get knocked down, but keep your head up, keep looking up and keep going up.”

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Herschel Walker on President Trump: ‘He’s trying to do a lot of things’."