by - Trump discussed Herschel Walker’s story during an interview last year with Maggie Haberman.
- Trump said he didn’t think past allegations of domestic violence would be a problem for the candidate.
- Walker, an opponent of abortion rights, has been accused of paying for an abortion, which he denies.
Former President Donald Trump last year acknowledged that Herschel Walker had a “complicated personal history” but said he thought it wouldn’t matter — although that was before the latest allegations against the Georgia GOP Senate candidate.
Trump made the comments in an interview with New York Times reporter and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman about her new book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” Haberman shared an audio clip of the interview, which took place about a year ago, with CNN on Thursday.
The video begins with Trump describing Walker as a great football player, saying he was the “best football player in the history of Georgia.” Walker, a former professional running back, played in the NFL for 12 seasons after winning the Heisman as a college football star at the University of Georgia.
Haberman is heard stressing that Walker has a “complicated personal history.” She clarified to CNN that she was referring to previous allegations of domestic violence, which Trump acknowledged.
“It does, but, you know, it’s a personal story that, ten years ago, maybe it would have been a problem. Twenty years ago it would have been more of a problem. I don’t think it’s a problem today.” Trump said.
When Haberman asked why that was, Trump replied, “Because the world is changing.”
CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked Haberman what she thought of Trump’s response.
“I think Donald Trump is aware of his role in the changing world, as he put it. That means he sees that as he’s survived all kinds of scandals, so have other people,” he said.
Haberman added that Trump is a “unique figure” and that others may not be able to survive scandals the way the former president did. But he noted that Walker is also a former sports star and could benefit from that.
“We’re talking about allegations of domestic violence that were in his past,” Haberman said of Walker, adding, “Trump is basically saying, ‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’ We’ll find out if that’s true.”
Since Haberman’s interview with Trump, more allegations against Walker have emerged.
Before this year, Walker, a frequent critic of absentee fathers — especially in black communities — had publicly acknowledged that he had only one son, Christian Walker. But The Daily Beast reported this summer that Walker has three other children he never mentioned, which Walker later confirmed.
On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that Walker, who is also a staunch opponent of abortion rights, paid for an ex-girlfriend who had become pregnant to have an abortion. The magazine later reported that the woman also had a child with Walker. On Friday, the Times reported that the woman said Walker asked her to have a second abortion, but she refused.
Walker denied her claims, calling The Daily Beast’s report “an outright lie” and vowing to sue. However, he confirmed to NBC on Friday that he was dating the woman and that if he sent her a card or money it was not for an abortion, as he claimed.
On Tuesday, after the abortion report, Trump defended Walker in a post on Truth Social.
Walker faces incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November in a race seen as critical to Republican hopes of flipping the Senate.
A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
