Daniel Penny was hailed as a ‘hero’ alongside Trump and Vance at the Army-Navy game suite
Marine veteran Daniel Penny is celebrating his recent acquittal of manslaughter in college football history.
Penny, who was recently acquitted in the death of homeless man Jordan Neely, joined President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance in the auditorium at Northwest Stadium in Maryland for the 125th Army-Navy game on Saturday. Trump’s team also hosted Elon Musk, Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Images of Penny standing next to Trump and Vance in the suite went viral during the game.
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Many social media users responded with waves of praise for Penny, hailing the Marine veteran as a hero.
Cryptocurrency activist Tiffany Fong shared the photo, hailing Penny as a hero in a post on X.
“Donald Trump [and] JD Vance knows Daniel Penny is a hero,” Fong wrote.
Conservative X influencer and podcast host Nick Sortor called for Penny to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom instead, and dozens of others agreed with him in X’s responses.
“Daniel Penny got a HERO’S WELCOME from President Trump and JD Vance at the Army Navy game that he deserved!” Sortor wrote. “I really hope Trump gives Penny the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., shared the photo with the caption, “Common sense reigns again!”
Author Ashley St. Clair shared a photo with a caption suggesting that Penny is on trial for being a White male. The arrest of Penny Neely, who was Black, started a national conversation about race.
“The days of vitriol and persecution of white people simply because they are white are over,” wrote St. Clair.
During Penny’s trial, prosecutors often referred to the Marine veteran as “White.”
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Penny is charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the death of Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia who stormed a train on May 1, 2023.
Witnesses testified that Neely’s threats were more frightening than a typical subway explosion, and were grateful for Penny’s intervention.
Neely had a long time criminal recordactive arrest warrant, history of psychosis and was high on K2, a synthetic form of marijuana that pathologists described as a stimulant.
Daniel Penny arrives in Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on December 3, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi of Fox News Digital)
When the jury announced that they had found Penny not guilty of involuntary manslaughter on December 9, her side of the courtroom in New York City erupted in cheers. At the same time, the decision sparked anger on the part of Neely, including his father, Andre Zachary, who was removed from the court and many leaders of Black Lives Matter.
Penny thanked the judges for their decision in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.
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“I like to hug them. I like to thank them. Yes, of course. It takes a lot of courage, especially in this weather in New York City, to stick with me,” she told “The Five Judge” Jeanine Pirro in a preview Wednesday during a special interview that aired on Fox Nation.
The veteran marine said that if he were to face the same situation on the road under the threat of someone acting in a suspicious manner, he would take action again.
“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do anything in that situation and someone got hurt,” he said. “I will feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
Daniel Penny arrives at Manhattan Supreme Court, New York, NY, Nov. 18, 2024. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital)
Vance was one of the first politicians to voice his support for Penny after the decision and said he extended the first invitation to Penny for Saturday’s event.
“Daniel is a good man, and the New York district attorney tried to destroy his life by being spineless,” Vance wrote on X Friday. “I am grateful that he accepted my invitation and I hope he is able to enjoy himself and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his bravery.”
Penny is still facing a lawsuit against Zachery, who accuses the 26-year-old of causing her son’s death “recklessly, recklessly and recklessly.” Zachery is seeking unspecified damages for assault and battery, according to a copy of the complaint.
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