President Donald Trump engaged with children during a Christmas Eve call with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at his Mar-a-Lago estate, making headlines with his remarks about coal. In a light-hearted exchange, he told a young girl named Amelia from Kansas that coal is “beautiful,” humorously challenging the tradition that naughty children receive coal in their stockings.
“What would you like Santa to bring?” Trump asked Amelia, who replied, “Not coal.” In response, he said, “Not coal? No, you don’t want coal … You mean, clean beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry.” This comment reflects Trump’s ongoing advocacy for fossil fuels and energy production in the United States.
NORAD has been tracking Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve since 1955, allowing children to call in to learn about Santa’s travels. Trump participated in this 70-year tradition alongside First Lady Melania Trump, with their interactions broadcast on C-SPAN. Throughout the calls, the president interjected humor and highlighted his political victories, often in ways that may not have resonated with the young callers.
In one notable exchange with a five-year-old from Pennsylvania, Trump boasted about his election wins in the state. “We won Pennsylvania, actually three times. We won it in a landslide, so I love Pennsylvania,” he said, referencing his narrow victory in the 2024 election. Trump secured 312 electoral votes and 49.8% of the popular vote, compared to then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who garnered 226 votes and 48.3% of the total. This was a shift from the 2020 election when Joe Biden won the state with 50.0% of the vote against Trump’s 48.8%.
In another conversation, a child from North Carolina asked if Santa would be upset if there were no cookies. Trump responded with a jovial tone, saying, “I think he won’t get mad, but he’ll be very disappointed. Santa tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side.” He encouraged the child to leave cookies, adding, “I think Santa has a serious appetite.”
The calls, which included a moment where Trump told an eight-year-old girl that she sounded “so beautiful and cute,” quickly gained traction on social media. He further explained to another child why NORAD tracks Santa, stating, “We want to make sure that Santa is being good—that Santa is a very good person.”
These festive interactions contrast with serious topics surrounding Trump’s presidency. According to the White House, over 605,000 individuals have been deported from the United States since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, with an additional 1.9 million reportedly self-deporting. This backdrop highlights the complexities of Trump’s administration, intertwining lighthearted holiday moments with significant policy issues.
As families around the world celebrate the holiday season, Trump’s Christmas Eve calls serve as a reminder of his unique approach to engaging with the public, combining humor, tradition, and political reflection.
