By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump has named Herschel Walker, the former soccer star he previously endorsed in Georgia’s 2022 Senate race, as U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas, Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.

Walker, a Republican, lost the 2022 Georgia race to Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Walker was one of Trump’s earliest endorsers in 2022. He was a staunch abortion opponent and faced allegations that he funded the abortions of two women after getting them pregnant, which he denied.

He was also widely known for faux pas on political issues and sometimes confusing musings, including a remark about werewolves and vampires.

The United States established diplomatic relations with the Bahamas in 1973 following independence from the United Kingdom.

About 80 percent of the 7 million tourists who visit the Bahamas each year come from the United States, according to the State Department. The State Department adds that the two countries’ trade relations are about $7.3 billion annually and the U.S. trade surplus is $3.8 billion.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry)