As former Georgia Bulldogs star running back Herschel Walker puts the finishing touches on his political campaign as he runs for Georgia’s Senate seat against incumbent Raphael Warnock in a race Joe Biden was told is “going downhill” for Warnock, former United States President Barack Obama is speaking out against Walker, comparing him to Donald Trump.
In a recent campaign event outside of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Barack Obama questioned Walker’s credentials, praising him as a football player but criticizing his ability as a politician.
Obama: "Some of you may not remember, but Herschel Walker was a heck of a football player… does that make him the best person to represent you?… let's say you're at the airport & you see Walker & you say, Hey, there's Herschel, Heisman winner. Let's have him fly the plane!" pic.twitter.com/ObyfIsOAEA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 29, 2022
“Some of you may not remember, but Herschel Walker was a heck of a football player. Some of you are too young to remember, but in college he was amazing. One of the best running backs of all time,” Obama said. “But here’s the question: does that make him the best person to represent you in the U.S.A? Does that make him equipped to weigh in on the critical decisions about our economy and our foreign policy and our future?”
Obama went on to explain how just because someone is good at one thing does not make them an expert at something else.
“Let’s say you’re at the airport and you see Mr. Walker. You said ‘Hey, there’s Herschel Walker – Heisman winner. Let’s have him fly the plane,'” Obama said. “You probably wouldn’t say that. You probably wouldn’t say that. You’d want to know, does he know how to fly an airplane?”
Obama then took a much more direct shot at Walker, questioning his interest in serving the public and calling him “a celebrity who wants to be a politician,” appearing to compare him to former President Donald Trump, saying “we’ve seen that before.”
Obama: Seems to me he’s a celebrity who wants to be a politician and we’ve seen how that goes.. pic.twitter.com/DUHw9wQFo3
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 29, 2022
“In the case of Rev. Warnock’s opponent, there is very little evidence that he has taken any interest, bothered to learn anything about, or displayed any kind of inclination towards public service or volunteer work, or helping people in any way – at least we don’t really know about it And that does make you suspect.
“It seems to me that he’s a celebrity that wants to be a politician, and we’ve seen how that goes,” Obama said. “We’ve seen that before.”
As election day nears, some polls have Walker as a four-point favorite despite news that Walker pressured multiple women into getting abortions.
[Aaron Rupar, Acyn]
