• Hosted by Sean Hannity, the Patriot Awards honor military veterans, first responders and other “inspirational everyday heroes.”
• The Patriot of the Year award was recreated for the 2024 ceremony.
• The event was originally hosted by scandal-hit candidate for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ahead of his planned appointment as Defense Secretary.

Fox Nation named President-elect Donald Trump Patriot of the Year on Thursday evening at the 2024 Fox Nation Patriot Awards in Long Island, New York.

The awards, created by the network in 2019, “honor and recognize America’s finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders and other inspiring everyday heroes,” Fox said.

Trump, 78, continued his post-election victory lap at the event, touting his electoral and popular vote victories. He also noted his close relationships with some in the organization, saying, “They have incredible people at Fox.”

The appearance comes as Trump puts together his new administration, including announcing David Sacks as “AI and crypto czar” and former US Senator David Perdue as ambassador to China on Thursday.

The event was originally hosted by scandal-embroiled Defense Secretary candidate Pete Hegseth, but was switched to Sean Hannity after Hegseth left the network to accept the nomination.

Other awards to be presented on Thursday include the Culture Warrior Award and the T2T Stephen Siller Back the Blue Award.

There was no Patriot of the Year category in 2023. Last year’s winners included Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, founders of the far-right education initiative Moms for Liberty, and best-selling crime author James Patterson.