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President Trump Keeps Holiday Tradition Alive with Lighthearted NORAD Santa Calls
President Donald Trump spent Christmas Eve at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, continuing the presidential tradition of speaking with children calling the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Santa tracking hotline.
Sitting alongside First Lady Melania Trump, the President engaged warmly with young callers, asking about their Christmas wish lists and offering festive banter during the approximately dozen calls they fielded together.
“We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa’s a very good person,” Trump told children aged 4 and 10 from Oklahoma. He added a characteristic political note, saying, “We want to make sure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa,” though he didn’t elaborate further on the comment.
The annual NORAD Santa tracking program, which playfully monitors Santa’s journey around the world, provides an opportunity for children across the country to speak briefly with the President and First Lady during the holiday season. The tradition has been maintained across multiple administrations as a light-hearted presidential duty during the Christmas period.
During one exchange with an 8-year-old from North Carolina who asked if Santa would be upset if no cookies were left out, Trump responded with humor. “I don’t think so, but I think he’ll be very disappointed,” the President said. “You know, Santa tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side. You know what cherubic means? A little on the heavy side. I think Santa would like some cookies.”
The President displayed his campaign-style messaging when responding to an 8-year-old girl from Kansas who said she didn’t want coal for Christmas. “You mean clean, beautiful coal?” Trump replied with a laugh, referencing his long-standing campaign pledge to revitalize the domestic coal industry. Even the First Lady, focused on her own call, turned and smiled at the remark.
“Coal is clean and beautiful. Please remember that, at all costs,” Trump continued, before acknowledging the girl’s actual Christmas wishes for a Barbie doll, clothes, and candy.
In a moment of candor during the event, Trump commented on his wife’s concentration while she was engaged with a caller and he was waiting for his next connection. “She’s able to focus totally, without listening,” he observed.
The President also mentioned that while he “could do this all day long,” he would likely need to return to more pressing matters, specifically citing efforts to address Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
While Trump maintained a jovial demeanor throughout the children’s calls, his holiday messaging took a sharper turn shortly afterward. Following the NORAD event, he returned to more politically charged rhetoric with a social media post stating: “Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly.”
This pattern of mixing seasonal greetings with political barbs echoes Trump’s approach during previous holidays. During his first term, he posted similar politically charged messages on Christmas Eve 2017, targeting FBI officials he perceived as biased against him and criticizing media coverage. Earlier this year, he marked the holiday season with a post directed at “Radical Left Lunatics.”
The contrast between the President’s warm interactions with children and his pointed political messaging illustrates the dual nature of his communication style, even during traditionally apolitical holiday observances.
The NORAD Santa tracking program, which began in 1955 following a misprinted department store advertisement, has evolved into a beloved annual tradition that combines military precision with holiday magic, allowing children to follow Santa’s journey while occasionally speaking with high-profile figures like the President.
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7 Comments
It’s good to see the President and First Lady continuing this long-standing White House holiday tradition. The Santa tracking program is a fun way for kids to engage with the administration. Trump’s ‘bad Santa’ comment is a bit puzzling, but hopefully it was just lighthearted banter.
Ah, the annual NORAD Santa calls – a quaint presidential tradition. I’m curious what Trump meant by the ‘bad Santa’ comment, though. Was he just playing along with the holiday theme or hinting at some perceived security threat? Either way, the exchanges seem to have been in good spirits overall.
The President’s Santa calls are a cute bit of holiday theater. While his ‘bad Santa’ remark was a bit odd, it seems he was mainly just trying to keep the festive mood going. Always interesting to see how different administrations handle these light-duty presidential responsibilities.
Keeping the presidential Santa call tradition alive, that’s a heartwarming sight. Though Trump’s ‘bad Santa’ remark seems a bit out of place – I hope he was just joking around and not implying anything sinister about the holiday festivities.
The President keeping up the NORAD Santa tradition is a nice bit of holiday cheer, though his ‘bad Santa’ remark seems a tad out of place. I wonder if he was hinting at some perceived security issue or if he was simply trying to continue the playful tone of the calls.
An interesting twist on the annual NORAD Santa tracking tradition! The President’s playful banter with children is a nice bit of holiday cheer, though his comments about infiltration raise some eyebrows. I wonder what he was alluding to there.
The President’s Santa calls are an endearing bit of holiday theater, though his ‘bad Santa’ remark is a bit puzzling. I suppose he was just trying to keep the playful banter going, but it’s an odd turn of phrase. Overall, it’s nice to see the White House maintain this long-standing presidential tradition.