UPDATE: President Donald Trump made headlines on Christmas Eve as he took calls from children through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to track Santa Claus. During the festive interaction, Trump jokingly declared coal to be “beautiful,” playfully contradicting the traditional notion that naughty children receive coal in their stockings.
In a call from Mar-a-Lago, Trump asked a young girl named Amelia from Kansas, “What would you like Santa to bring?” When she responded with a firm “Not coal,” Trump replied, “No, you don’t want coal… You mean, clean beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry.” His comments drew laughter, emphasizing his ongoing promotion of fossil fuels and energy production.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of NORAD’s Christmas Eve tradition, where children can call in to track Santa. The calls, featuring Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, were broadcast live on C-SPAN. Throughout the evening, Trump interjected jokes and political commentary, which likely soared over the heads of the young callers.
Trump also referenced his political victories during the calls, telling a 5-year-old from Pennsylvania, “We won Pennsylvania, actually three times,” boasting about his slim victory margin of just 312 votes in the 2024 election against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump secured 49.8 percent of the popular vote compared to Harris’s 48.3 percent.
In another lighthearted moment, Trump reassured a child from North Carolina concerned about Santa’s cookie situation. Trump remarked, “I think he won’t get mad, but he’ll be very disappointed,” humorously adding, “Santa tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side.” He encouraged the child to leave cookies, stating, “I think Santa has a serious appetite.”
The call featuring the eight-year-old girl has since gone viral, with Trump complimenting her, saying she sounded “so beautiful and cute,” and adding she was “so smart.”
In a conversation about NORAD’s role in tracking Santa, Trump explained, “We want to make sure that Santa is being good—that Santa is a very good person.” He humorously noted the importance of monitoring Santa to avoid “infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”
According to the White House, over 605,000 people have been deported from the U.S. since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, with an additional 1.9 million reportedly self-deporting. This statistic adds a stark contrast to the festive spirit of the evening, highlighting the ongoing complexities of Trump’s policies while engaging with children during the holiday season.
As the calls unfolded, social media buzzed with reactions, illustrating the blend of holiday cheer and political commentary that characterized Trump’s Christmas Eve. The world watches as the former president continues to engage with the public in unconventional ways.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.
