President-elect Donald Trump has a new game plan for Herschel Walker, his longtime friend, ally and former football star.

Three years after Trump handpicked Walker to run for the Senate in his home state of Georgia in a crucial, combative, expensive and high-profile Senate race, the president-elect is now selecting his friend to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Caribbean nation of 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 statement Tuesday night on social media, as he pointed to Walker’s resume, which includes serving as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition during Trump’s first term in the White House.

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Walker is a former professional and college football star running back who won a Heisman Trophy and helped propel the University of Georgia to a national championship.

His friendship with the former and future president goes back to his days playing for the Trump-owned New Jersey Generals USFL football team in the 1980s. Walker also was a major Trump supporter and surrogate in the 2020 presidential election.

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In August 2021, Walker launched a Republican Senate campaign in Georgia after months of support and encouragement from Trump to run for office.

Walker, a first-time politician, was dogged during his Senate run by controversial statements and damaging revelations about his personal life and business career.

Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker of Georgia holds a campaign rally on Oct. 27, 2022 in Cumming, Georgia. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

The race between Walker and Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock ended up being one of the most closely watched Senate battles in the 2022 midterms. The contest went into overtime, with Walker ending up narrowly losing to Warnock in a runoff election in December of that year.

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This year, Walker joined Trump on the campaign trail in Georgia days before Election Day, as the former president carried the key southeastern battleground state after narrowly losing it to President Biden four years ago.

Former NFL running back and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker addresses the crowd at a rally for former President Donald Trump, on Nov. 3, 2024 in Macon, Georgia. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Walker becomes the third Republican who lost a recent Senate race in Georgia to be nominated by Trump for a post in his second administration.

Former Sen. David Perdue, who lost his seat to Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2020 cycle, was selected by Trump to serve as ambassador to China, and former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who lost to Warnock in the 2020 cycle, was picked by Trump to run the Small Business Administration.

Trump’s naming of Walker as ambassador to the Bahamas is the second time this month the former football star made headlines.

This past weekend, Walker graduated from the University of Georgia, 42 years after he last attended the school.

President-elect Trump dropped his most recent round of ambassador nominations on social media Tuesday night, before issuing a warning to Senate Republicans about any potential deals with Democratic lawmakers.

The Republican leader began by nominating Herschel Walker as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Walker, a staunch Trump ally, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 as a candidate from Georgia.

“I am pleased to nominate Herschel Walker as United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Trump’s post began. “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 went on to call Walker, a former National Football League (NFL) player, a “successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL Great.” The president-elect also commended Walker’s previous work in the first Trump administration.

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“During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health,” Trump added. “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 followed up his post about Walker to announce Nicole McGraw as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Croatia. The president-elect described McGraw as a “philanthropist, businesswoman, and World renowned art collector.”

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Former NFL running back and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker addresses the crowd at a rally for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at the Atrium Health Ampitheater on November 03, 2024 in Macon, Georgia. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“Nicole has brought fine art to the People through her work leading CANVAS Art Charities, and raised Millions of Dollars for neglected and abused children as a Board Member of Place of Hope,” Trump wrote. “She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Art History and Studio Art. Congratulations Nicole!”

After issuing the nominations, Trump ended with a note warning Senate Republicans not to make deals with Democrats to “fast track” nominations this month.

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Santander Arena, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Reading, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,” Trump wrote. “I won the biggest mandate in 129 years. I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in.”

SACRAMENTO —  At a somber electoral college ceremony at the state Capitol on Tuesday, electors who had hoped to be celebrating the historic presidency of a Democratic daughter of California cast their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris knowing that Republican Donald Trump will head to the White House next month instead.

It was a starkly different scene than in 2020, when Democratic electors in Sacramento burst into cheers and applause as California solidified Democrat Joe Biden’s win, ousting Trump after his first presidential term, as the Republican refused to accept defeat and made unfounded claims of voter fraud.

This time, quiet lulls filled the Assembly chamber as all 54 of California’s electoral college votes were cast for Harris, the first California Democrat to become a presidential nominee.

“You can talk to your friends. This is not a funeral, this is a good time,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said as she commended electors, who sat at desks usually reserved for legislators, for their “dedication to democracy” regardless of how they felt about the outcome of the election.

Harris secured about 58% of the votes in her home state of California, defeating Trump by more than 20 points, but lost to him nationally.

Though the popular vote nationwide between Harris and Trump was close, Trump won the electoral college — the system based on population and state representation in Congress — by 312 to 226. Members of the electoral college convened in each state Tuesday to cast votes for the candidate who won their state.

Rusty Hicks, chair of the California Democratic Party, said it was not a sad day of defeat, adding that the Golden State remains “a beacon of freedom” for the nation. Democrats maintain unfettered power in Sacramento, ruling in the governor’s office and in the Legislature, even though they lost a few seats.

And while the election was a big win nationwide for Republicans, who will soon control the Senate, the House and the presidency, Democrats unseated three Republican incumbents in California congressional races, helping to reduce the razor-thin GOP majority.

“Do most of us want a different outcome? Of course,” Hicks said in the Capitol on Tuesday. “But this is part of our democracy — of making our voices heard, coming to the people’s house and honoring the results of the election. I think that’s something that we should all be proud of.”

California’s presidential electors included a roster of Democrats from across the state — city council members and mayors, political strategists, leaders of nonprofits and elected officials such as Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) and new Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez (D-Los Angeles).

Family members of politicians also acted as electors, including Karen Waters, daughter of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles); Angela Padilla, wife of Democratic U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla; Candice Adam-Medefind, mother of incoming Democratic Rep. Adam Gray; and Elizabeth Cisneros, mother of Democratic Rep.-elect Gil Cisneros.

Trump was not mentioned at Tuesday’s official ceremony, but his looming presidency is inescapable in the California Capitol, where Gov. Gavin Newsom recently launched a special legislative session dedicated to funding litigation against Trump’s conservative policy proposals.

“This process reminds us of what is possible when we honor the voices of the people and the values we hold dear, of freedom, fairness and the right of every individual to have their say and shape the future,” Rivas said in welcoming remarks on the Assembly floor.

Gray, who claimed a crucial congressional seat, ousting Republican Rep. John Duarte in an extremely close Central Valley race, was at the Capitol on Tuesday as an observer.

The newly elected congressman was cautiously optimistic about the incoming administration and said he’s willing to work with Trump on areas where they agree.

“In every election, somebody doesn’t win. That doesn’t preclude us from waking up the next day and still working on the things that are important to our communities,” he said.

Xiomara Flores-Holguin was an elector Tuesday and top volunteer for Democrat George Whitesides’ congressional campaign. Whitesides, a first-time candidate, defeated Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in another closely watched House race in northern Los Angeles County.

Flores-Holguin said she was was filled with “mixed emotions” on Tuesday. She plans to help Democrats revisit voter engagement strategies with a renewed focus on Latino constituents before the next election.

“Coming today feels like there is still a ray of hope that the Democrats will be back,” she said. “We’ve learned some lessons from it and we’re not giving up. We’re not going away.”