Rick Scott says he gave Trump a ‘Champion of Freedom Award’ because he ‘worked hard’

Rick Scott says he gave Donald Trump a “Champion of Freedom Award” because he “worked hard.”

The Florida senator presented Mr Trump the award at his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month after it was created by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Mr Scott was asked during an appearance on ABC This Week to defend the one-term president getting the small trophy when he continued to spread debunked claims of election fraud.

“I gave him the award for the right reasons,” insisted Mr Scott.

“He worked on border security, he worked on creating the best economy probably ever in my lifetime, he worked on holding Xi and China accountable, the Castro regime accountable, Maduro accountable, helping Israel get the Abraham Accords done, so he worked hard.

“Every president I know would like to get more things accomplished but he did some things that prior presidents had not got done.”

Mr Scott is one of the eight Republican Senators who voted against the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory after the pro-Trump Capitol Riot on 6 January.

The Florida senator and his GOP colleagues were mocked on social media for presenting Mr Trump, who did not even change out of his golf clothes, the award.