(MENAFN- Live Mint) 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 Defense, 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.

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Melania Trump received 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.

What are Patriot Awards?

According to Fox, the Patriot Awards were launched in 2019 to celebrate "patriotism by honoring everyday American heroes who have shown dedication to our nation". It is meant to“honor and recognize America's finest patriots, including military veterans, first responders and other inspirational everyday heroes", Fox stated.

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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 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 me and my son, Justice, we've ever done.”

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