It didn’t take long for 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker to stir up controversy while standing alongside President Donald Trump on Thursday. Joined by Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, the former Dallas Cowboys running back shared his stance when he took the stage.

“Thankyou President Trump, I love you,” he said. “I told him I would always fight for him. I’ve known him since 1983, and I tell you what, he was the same man in 1983 as he is now, and I love him to death.”

Walker played 12 seasons in the NFL, beginning with the Dallas Cowboys and later spending time with the Vikings, Eagles, and Giants, racking up 1,954 carries for 8,225 yards, 61 touchdowns, and two Pro Bowl nods along the way. Still, in recent years, much of the public conversation around him has centered on his relationship with Trump.

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The two first connected in 1983, when Walker signed with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League, and Trump owned the franchise at the time. Walker has often said the bond formed quickly and endured, and four decades later, he’s still full of admiration for the President.

“I’m talking about a deep personal friendship,” Walker said during his 2020 Republican National Convention speech. “He can be in the middle of a big meeting, but if one of the kids is on the phone, he drops everything to take the call. He taught me that family should be your top priority.”

Long retired, Walker now runs Renaissance Man Foods, a poultry and food company, along with other business ventures, and has credited Trump with teaching him lessons beyond football and business, particularly about family and how to treat people.

He claims that he saw the President “treat janitors, security guards, and waiters the same way you would treat a VIP. He made them feel special because he knew they were.”

During Trump’s first term, Walker served as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and ran for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee with Trump’s backing in 2022. Later, in late 2024, Trump nominated him to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, which was confirmed in October 2025.

Herschel Walker faces backlash over a controversial remark

After voicing his support for Donald Trump, Herschel Walker shifted to another issue that continues to stir debate across the country, revolving around transgender participation in sports.

“We gotta get out and vote and do the same thing because if we do not do that, we will lose this country because men shouldn’t be in women’s sports,” Walker said. “I can know what a woman is. I know that guys should not ever be in women’s sports. I know that we should always respect the law because it’s written in the bible.”

Walker’s comments align with a stance Trump has held publicly for years. In 2025, Trump signed an executive order barring transgender women from competing in female sports categories, describing it as an effort to restore fairness in competition.

As one would expect, it drew stark criticism from LGBTQ advocacy groups and human rights organizations, who argued it discriminates against transgender athletes.

Since then, some sports governing bodies have adopted policies restricting transgender women from competing in female divisions at the elite level. The Trump administration has aggressively pushed enforcement of its policy, including filing a lawsuit against Maine for refusing to comply.

Walker made it clear he stands firmly with the president on the matter, drawing significant backlash.

“Herschel Walker, speaking about loyalty,” the president said about Herschel. “What a good football player was Herschel.”