Senate hopeful Herschel Walker dared Barack Obama to compare resumes after the former president questioned Mr Walker’s credentials for leadership, calling him more of a "celebrity" than a politician.
Mr Obama campaigned for Mr Walker’s opponent, incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock, on Friday night in Georgia.
During the speech, he called Mr Walker "a celebrity that wants to be a politician," and noted that being a good football player does not qualify someone to help run the nation.
“In college, [Mr Walker] was amazing. One of the best running backs of all time," Mr Obama said. "But here is the question: Does that make him the best person to represent you in the US Senate? Does that make him equipped to weigh in on the critical decisions about our economy and our foreign policy and our future?”
Mr Obama claimed the candidate had showed little interest actually developing a civics-minded set of skills to prepare for a potential political future.
“There is very little evidence that he has taken any interest, bothered to learn anything about or displayed any kind of inclination towards public service or volunteer work or helping people in anyway,” Mr Obama said.
The former president also addressed what he called Mr Walker’s "issues of character" and "habit of not telling the truth." He also referenced a recent gaffe made by Mr Walker during a recent debate, calling the candidate "someone who carries around a phony badge and says he is in law enforcement like a kid playing cops and robbers."
Mr Walker responded to the former president’s comments during an appearance on Fox News. Presenter Brian Kilmeade asked Mr Walker if he had ever met Mr Obama, and how he felt about the former president’s criticism.
"I never met [Mr Obama] before, and if I’m a celebrity I would have met him because all he did was hang out with celebrities. He forgot to tell people I created one of the largest minority-owned food service companies in the US, so I do sign the front of a check, which he’s probably never done except when he was in the White House and that Senator [Raphael] Warnock has never done either," Mr Walker responded.
That’s when he suggested his resume was more impressive than the former president’s.
"So I created businesses, I sit on a publicly traded board, so those are things I’ve done outside of football," Mr Walker said. "But my resume against his resume I’d put it up any time of the day, and I think I’ve done well. Once of the things I’d say to the people is that [Mr Obama] is not in Georgia voting."
