Former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker spoke about his decades-long friendship with President Donald Trump during a Monday night speech at the Republican National Convention.
Walker drew from his personal experiences with the president to defend Trump against charges of racism, saying those who make such claims “don’t know what they are talking about.”
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Walker recalled Trump’s time as an owner of the United States Football League’s New Jersey Generals, for which he played from 1983 to 1985, and the “deep personal friendship” they developed that included a trip to Disney World with their families.
“Right after he bought the team, he set out to learn,” he said. “He learned about the history of the team. The players, the coaches. Every detail. Then he used what he learned to make the team better. I watched him in the board room. He can be in the middle of a big meeting but if one of the kids was on the phone, he dropped everything to take the call. He taught me that the family should be your top priority. I watched him treat janitors, security guards and waiters the same way he would treat a V.I.P. He made them feel special, because he knew they were.”
“It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald,” Walker continued. “The worst one is racist. I take it as a personal insult that people would think I’ve had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People that think that don’t know what they’re talking about. Growing up in the Deep South, I’ve seen racism up close. I know what it is. And it isn’t Donald Trump.”
The former University of Georgia running back insisted that the president “cares about social justice and the black community” and shows it “through his actions.” (RELATED: ‘Anything Goes’: Herschel Walker Says Trump Campaign Shouldn’t Treat Kamala Harris With Kid Gloves)
“Some people don’t like his style, the way he knocks down obstacles that get in the way of his goals,” he concluded. “People on the opposing team didn’t like it when I ran over them either but that’s how you get the job done. I pray every night that God gives him more time. Give him four more years. He has accomplished so much almost all by himself under constant attack, but there’s still more work to be done. If you love America and want to make it better, Donald Trump is your president. Donald Trump is my president, and I’m blessed to call him friend.”