'We the people' make America 'the awesomest,' Hegseth says at Patriot Awards
The Fox Nation host paid tribute to American exceptionalism Wednesday night in Florida
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox Nation host Pete Hegseth started the 2021 Fox Nation Patriot Awards with a bang Wednesday night in Hollywood, Florida.
"America…is simply the awesomest because…of ‘We the people’," Hegseth said in his opening remarks. "Because of you… It's not elites, it's you."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a moving monologue, Hegseth paid tribute to fellow soldiers from his military service in Afghanistan, saying "[t]hey deserve the spotlight a lot more than me."
The veteran also staked a claim to American exceptionalism, calling the United States "the most free, most diverse, most tolerant, most just, most prosperous and most powerful country the world has ever seen." He defied Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times' 1619 Project, saying, "America was not founded in 1619. We will always be 1776."
Hegseth said the purpose of the Patriot Awards is to "honor ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things."
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"We are the United States of America…," he said, "united around our flag, our love of freedom under God and guarded by those wearing badges or wearing camouflage who put their lives on the line to defend it."