On Thursday (December 5), U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (Trump) stated that he has already achieved more accomplishments than President Joe Biden has during his entire term, even though he has not taken office yet. He made these remarks while en route to Long Island, New York to attend the Fox Nation annual Patriot Award ceremony.
Just a month ago, Trump emerged victorious in the presidential election and is set to officially assume the office of the 47th President of the United States on January 20 next year. In recent weeks, he has been busy at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, preparing personnel for his new administration.
Speaking at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, Trump addressed the audience, saying, “I think you’ve discovered in the past two weeks that what you’ve been through is greater than what you’ve been through in the past four years.” He reflected on the election night during his 10-minute acceptance speech, reminiscing, “It was a great day, a great night.”
At the award ceremony, singer Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the USA,” while some audience members shouted “Let the criminals get out of our country,” advocating for paper ballot voting and mandatory voter ID to defend election integrity.
Trump also mentioned his recent conversations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Previously, he had announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from these two countries unless they take effective measures to address illegal border crossings and drug trafficking issues.
Regarding Trudeau’s visit to Mar-a-Lago, Trump joked, “Justin flew straight in.” Some audience members then shouted, “51!” as a playful response to Trump’s joke during dinner with Trudeau about Canada potentially becoming the 51st state of the United States.
The Patriot Award is presented by Fox to recognize outstanding patriots in America, including veterans, emergency responders, and other heroes whose inspiring actions uplift society. The event was hosted by Fox host Sean Hannity, a close friend of Trump, who took over hosting duties after Pete Hegseth, the original host nominated for Secretary of Defense by Trump.
Honorees at the ceremony included conservative actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron, General Dick Cody who used his helicopter to transport supplies after Hurricane Helen, and New York Police Department officer Jonathan Diller, who tragically died during a traffic stop in Queens. His widow Stephanie stood to express gratitude, thanking Trump for his support. Other awardees also mentioned Trump in their acceptance speeches.
The ceremony also highlighted the organization “Paws of War,” which provides service dogs for veterans and helps servicemen bring home animals they adopted in war zones.
Moments of genuine emotion were frequent during the ceremony.
Trump receiving the award also marks a peak moment where Fox re-embraces the elected president. In recent years, the network’s relationship with Trump has been tumultuous.
In 2023, Fox paid $787 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit stemmed from Fox personalities repeating Trump’s claims on their shows, alleging widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the six months leading up to spring 2023, Fox imposed what many perceived as a “soft ban” on appearances by Trump, but after facing backlash from viewers, Fox and its hosts quickly shifted back to supporting Trump.
Former Fox hosts have had differing experiences. Megyn Kelly sharply questioned Trump’s treatment of women during a 2015 debate, leading to Trump’s rebuttal; now, she has become a popular podcast host and a supporter of Trump.
The Dominion lawsuit revealed that former Fox host Tucker Carlson expressed disdain for Trump in emails, including saying he was “really looking forward” to Trump becoming a former president, only to quickly become a close friend.
Trump has also criticized Fox’s content as not being loyal enough on social media.
During Thursday’s event, Trump remarked, “Fox has a lot of great people,” before joking, “A few of whom I don’t like.”
For most of the time leading up to his official inauguration, Trump has been staying at his club in Palm Beach, Florida, nominating cabinet picks, but this week, he made a sudden appearance at a memorial service for three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies who died in a car accident last month.
This weekend, Trump will be heading to Paris to join other world leaders and dignitaries in celebrating the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, reflecting the respect of major world leaders for traditional faith. The cathedral suffered severe damage from a fire five years ago.
(Adapted from Associated Press reporting)