President-elect Donald Trump will leave the sheltered confines of Mar-a-Lago on Thursday to be fêted by Fox Nation—a streaming platform affiliated with the conservative Fox News network—as its “Patriot of the Year.” Trump will travel to New York to attend a private gala on Long Island hosted by the network’s Sean Hannity, who along with other Fox personalities played cheerleader to the Republican’s successful presidential campaign this year. The event was originally slated to be presented by Pete Hegseth, a onetime Fox News host who is now Trump’s embattled pick for defense secretary—in recent days, he has been barraged with allegations of sexual assault and workplace misbehavior, which he denies. On his Truth Social platform, Trump said he looks “greatly forward” to the event: “I will be receiving the Fox Patriot of the Year Award — so nice! See you there.” He will join some not especially distinguished company: Last year, Fox Nation awarded the cofounders of Moms for Liberty the “Most Valuable Patriot” prize. The advocacy org opposes schools teaching children about LGBTQ rights, race, and discrimination and was deemed a far-right extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2021.
