By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net 

FORMER NFL star Herschel Walker has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the next US ambassador to The Bahamas, ending a 13-year vacancy in the post.

Mr Walker, 63, of Georgia, becomes the first person to hold the role since Nicole Avant’s departure in 2011. The US Embassy in Nassau confirmed the Senate’s vote, saying: “We look forward to welcoming him to US Embassy Nassau after he receives his presidential commission and is sworn in.”

His arrival date in New Providence is unknown, but is unlikely to be before the end of the month - meaning he will miss the upcoming weekend wedding of US Chargé d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish, who has led the embassy since 2024.

Liberty Overlook, the official ambassador’s residence, will be readied for his arrival after sitting vacant for more than a decade.

Mr Walker was nominated in December 2024 by longtime associate President Donald Trump, who returned to office following his election victory that year.

During his Senate confirmation hearing in September, Mr Walker said he would prioritise countering China’s growing influence in the region, strengthening anti-drug trafficking efforts with the DEA and regional partners, and encouraging US investment to boost local prosperity. He was among more than 100 nominees who were confirmed by a 51 to 47 vote. 

A celebrated athlete, Mr Walker’s background spans college football, the NFL, Olympic bobsledding, and mixed martial arts. He also served as national spokesperson for the Patriot Support Programme, visiting military bases to advocate for mental health and sharing his personal experiences to promote awareness.

From 2017 to 2021, he co-chaired the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and for more than 18 years led National Health Through Fitness Day, linking fitness advocates with lawmakers to promote physical education.

Mr Walker entered politics in 2022 as a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Georgia but was defeated amid controversy over allegations of domestic abuse and claims that he paid for a girlfriend’s abortion despite his strong anti-abortion stance.

His appointment ends more than a decade of delays in filling the US ambassador post. Since Ms Avant’s departure, nominees across three administrations failed to secure Senate confirmation — including Cassandra Butts, who died before her hearing, and Trump nominees Doug Manchester and William Douglass, whose nominations were withdrawn. President Biden’s pick, Calvin Smyre, also never advanced to confirmation.

The Bahamas was one of only five countries, including Bolivia and Cuba, without an ambassador for more than a decade, according to the US State Department’s Office of the Historian.

A US State Department spokesperson said Walker “will be a true champion of the America first foreign policy agenda” and that his appointment would help advance US interests in the Bahamas, located less than 60 miles from Florida.