President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump spent part of Christmas Eve speaking with children from across the country, joining the annual NORAD Santa Tracker calls as Santa Claus made his way around the world.
The couple took the calls from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, answering kids’ questions and speaking about Christmas wishes, Santa’s habits, and even coal.
Trump on NORAD call- ‘You mean clean, beautiful coal’
During one call, Trump asked an eight-year-old girl what she wanted for Christmas. “Um, not coal,” the child answered. Trump seized the moment to say, “Not coal. No, you don’t want coal. You mean clean, beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry,” he said.
He added, “Coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that at all costs. But you don’t want clean, beautiful coal, right? What would you like?” Trump has often used the phrase “clean, beautiful coal” over the years while speaking in favour of the energy source. Earlier this year, he signed an executive order aimed at boosting coal production by easing rules on mining, leasing, and exports of the fuel.
Trump on NORAD call- ‘You must be a high-IQ person’
During one call, a child told Trump that they were hoping Santa would bring them a Kindle, the popular e-reader made by Amazon. Trump seemed impressed by the choice. “That’s pretty good. You must be a high-IQ person. We need more high-IQ people in the country,” he said.
An eight-year-old girl from North Carolina asked Trump whether Santa would be upset if she forgot to leave cookies for him. “I think he won’t get mad, but I think he’ll be very disappointed,” Trump replied. He then joked that Santa is “a little on the cherubic side.”
Trump on NORAD call- ‘We track Santa all over the world’
During another call with a child from Oklahoma, Trump spoke about the state, which he won in the 2024 presidential election. “Santa loves you. Santa loves Oklahoma like I do,” Trump said. “Oklahoma was very good to me in the election, so I love Oklahoma. Don’t ever leave Oklahoma, OK?”
In the same conversation, Trump talked about how Santa is tracked as he travels the world on Christmas Eve. “We track Santa all over the world,” he said. “We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.” Trump then reassured the children listening. “We found that Santa is good,” he said.
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, has been tracking Santa’s Christmas Eve journey since the 1950s, a tradition that has become part of the holiday season for many families. This time, Trump joined the NORAD calls and spoke with children from different states, discussing a range of topics from coal and energy to elections and even Santa’s conduct. The calls are meant to be fun and festive, giving kids a chance to follow Santa as he travels around the world delivering presents.