Herschel Walker ripped after defeat as 'insult to Black community,' 'caricature' who 'don't talk too good'
CNN panelist Bakari Sellers claimed Walker was 'anti-intellectual' and 'not able to grasp policy'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Commentators on CNN launched personal attacks against former U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker, calling him an "insult to the Black community" and claiming that he was a "hypermasculine" caricature of a Black person who was "not able to grasp policy."
Walker, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia, lost his runoff race to Democratic incumbent, Sen. Raphael Warnock on Tuesday evening.
The close contest was called late Tuesday night, hours after the polls closed in the state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}WALKER SAYS EARLY VOTING RECORD TURNOUT ‘LOOKS GOOD’ FOR ME
CNN's Van Jones calls Herschel Walker an "insult to Black Americans." (Screenshot/CNN)
CNN political commentator Van Jones laid into Walker during the evening’s election returns, claiming that former President Donald Trump endorsing Walker to run was an "insult to Black voters," even though he "used to be a hero."
Addressing a CNN election night panel, Jones said, "Tonight is about Trump picking somebody who, frankly, used to be a hero. Herschel Walker used to be an inspiration. Now it means insult. He’s an insult to the Black community."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He argued that Democratic voters came out not only to support Warnock, but to repudiate Trump’s endorsement of "somebody like this." Jones said, "And what you may see tonight is people coming out not just to vote in favor of a senator that they love, but just to vote against Donald Trump picking somebody like this and throwing this person at the voters in Georgia."
Jones called into question Trump’s support for Walker, calling it "too clever by half." Speaking as Trump, he added, "’I’m going to put a Black guy against a Black guy.’ But the guy that he picked was the wrong Black guy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican Senate challenger Herschel Walker speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Atlanta. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has defeated Walker in a runoff election in Georgia. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger interjected, asking, "So you think it’s insulting?" Van Jones replied, "I think it’s insulting."
Fellow panelist Ashley Allison agreed and echoed Jones’ statement, saying, "If you are Herschel Walker, you are an insult to the Black voters of Georgia," she said. "And honestly, I’m not Republican, but it would be an insult to me as a Republican to think that this is the type of person that I actually want to send to the United States Senate."
The next morning, after the results depicted Warnock’s victory, "CNN This Morning" guest author Bakari Sellers claimed that Walker lost because he is a "caricature" of a Black man, the way Trump sees him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He stated, "This is how Donald Trump sees Black people. And we’ve been echoing this since 2016. It’s this caricature of being hypersexualized, it’s hypermasculine, this athlete, but it’s also very anti-intellectual. It’s not able to grasp policy. It’s not able to, as my Daddy say, ‘He don’t talk too good.’ You know, it’s all of these things combined in one."
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"CNN This Morning" anchor Don Lemon ribbed Sellers, saying, "You’re being nice! Let’s be honest, Bakari. Okay, let’s talk. It was cringeworthy. When Herschel Walker opened his mouth, and if it was on a television screen, most African Americans were like ‘Oh god."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sellers agreed, adding, "It was beyond cringeworthy."