Former NFL soccer participant Herschel Walker, US President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to the Bahamas, testifies earlier than a Senate International Relations Committee listening to on nominations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 11, 2025.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Former NFL participant and political candidate Herschel Walker, who was nominated by the Trump administration to be the US ambassador to The Bahamas, has pledged to work towards lowering China’s rising affect within the Caribbean and to take steps to scale back worldwide narcotics smuggling.
Walker, who had misplaced his bid for a Georgia Senate seat in 2022 to Democrat Raphael Warnock, says he is able to take up the place if he’s confirmed — and he’s pledging to hit the bottom working like he did throughout his years as a storied working again within the NFL.
Throughout Senate hearings prior to now week, walker mentioned having an American envoy within the archipelago simply off Florida “is extra necessary than ever.” He zoomed in on China’s rising funding portfolio within the area and of its more and more sturdy hyperlinks with regional governments and the non-public sector.
“China is making an attempt to extend its affect within the area,” Walker mentioned throughout the hearings. “It has constructed practically a $3 billion deep water port in The Bahamas, and has made different strikes that may threaten our nationwide safety. There’s a rise in drug smuggling there in The Bahamas, and this can be a actual hazard to america. The menace to American lives can’t be overstated. Tackling this significant issue requires management and cooperation between our governments. By way of Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), america works collaboratively with the northern Caribbean to disrupt unlawful trafficking. If confirmed, I’ll see that this initiative continues to be sturdy.”
In current weeks, the US has signaled its discomfort with authorities permitting China’s Exim Financial institution to fund the development of a significant hospital within the capital. Lowering China’s footprint can be Walker’s first order of enterprise, he advised the listening to.
“These of you who don’t know me personally should be questioning what {qualifications} I convey to the desk that [will help] me function US ambassador to The Bahamas,” he mentioned. “All through my life, many individuals have underestimated me in lecturers, athletics, and enterprise. Now, I’ve at all times proved them incorrect. I’ve finished it by self-discipline, dedication, and by outworking everybody in each process, giant or small. Nobody has ever questioned my work ethic. If confirmed, I might apply the identical work ethic to my position as ambassador of this nation.”
Walker did decide up help amongst some senators, with Committee Chair Jim Risch reminding Walker and the room of the large process that lies forward.
“As China seems to extend its foothold within the Bahamas — by its operation of the Freeport Container Terminal, its outsized diplomatic presence, and Huawei’s near-monopoly of native telecom networks — we should push again.You might have your work reduce out for you,” he mentioned.
