Melania Trump gets ‘Patriot of the Year’ award: What is it and why First Lady was honoured
The 7th annual Patriot Awards, held on November 6, honoured American heroes, including Melania Trump as Patriot of the Year. This came after Donald Trump received it last year following his election victory over his Democrat's Kamala Harris.
MELANIA Trump, the first lady of the United States, was honoured with Fox Nation's “Patriot of the Year” awards on Thursday. This came after Donald Trump received it last year following his election victory over his Democrat's Kamala Harris. Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk received “Charlie Kirk Legacy Award”.
Hannity, who stepped in as host after Pete Hegseth left the network to join Trump’s administration as Secretary of Defence, also hinted that this year’s event would be the “biggest Patriot Awards Show to date.”
Host Sean Hannity lauded her understated effectiveness during an interview promoting the event. “I think that for any First Lady, it’s a very hard position. She’s got this quiet dignity about her, and is an absolutely brilliant human being," he stated. He went on to describe Melania’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy as “remarkable", noting that many Americans were unaware of her involvement in back-channel efforts for the children’s release.
Why did Melania Trump receive Patriot of the Year Award?
Melania Trump received the Patriot of the Year Award for recognition of her “work on behalf of children and families”.
The First Lady was chosen for her initiatives to shield children from AI-driven exploitation and for her role in helping secure the release of Ukrainian children taken by Russia during the war, according to Fox News.
JUST IN: First lady Melania Trump receives the 'Patriot of the Year' award at the @foxnation 2025 Patriot Awards. pic.twitter.com/sucFPMpdW1
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 7, 2025
What are Patriot Awards?
According to Fox, the Patriot Awards were launched in 2019 to celebrate "patriotism by honouring everyday American heroes who have shown dedication to our nation". It is meant to “honour and recognize America’s finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders and other inspirational everyday heroes", Fox stated.
The 7th annual Patriot Awards occurred on November 6 at the Tilles Center at LIU Post in Greenvale, New York. The creators of this year's award are Shane and Justice Henderson. The father-son duo also designed the 2022 and 2024 trophies. Speaking on Fox & Friends on Wednesday, Shane Henderson said they had thought they “peaked” with last year’s awards, but were amazed by what they produced for this year’s.
Award categories consist of Young Patriot, Heroism, T2T Stephen Siller Award, Most Valuable Patriot, Salute to Service and Patriot of the Year. This year, an addition was a new award honouring the late Charlie Kirk.
Henderson, president of Metal Art of Wisconsin, stated, “I didn't think we'd be able to beat it, but my team knocked it out of the park this year. This is the greatest thing that my son, Justice, and we’ve ever done.”
