By WILL WEISSERT
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing youngsters calling in about what presents they had been enthusiastic about receiving, whereas promising to not let a “dangerous Santa” infiltrate the nation and even suggesting {that a} stocking stuffed with coal is probably not so dangerous.
Vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, the president and first girl Melania Trump participated within the custom of speaking to kids dialing into the North American Aerospace Protection Command, which playfully tracks Santa’s progress across the globe.
“We wish to ensure that Santa is being good. Santa’s an excellent individual,” Trump stated whereas chatting with youngsters ages 4 and 10 in Oklahoma. “We wish to ensure that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our nation a foul Santa.”
He didn’t elaborate.
President Donald Trump, speaks accompanied by first girl Melania Trump, throughout a NORAD, North American Aerospace Protection Command, Tracks Santa Operation name at his Mar-a-Lago membership, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Seashore, Fla. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)
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President Donald Trump, speaks accompanied by first girl Melania Trump, throughout a NORAD, North American Aerospace Protection Command, Tracks Santa Operation name at his Mar-a-Lago membership, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Seashore, Fla. (AP Picture/Alex Brandon)
Trump has typically marked Christmases previous with criticisms of his political enemies, together with in 2024, when he posted, “Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics.” Throughout his first time period, Trump wrote on-line early on Dec. 24, 2017, concentrating on a prime FBI official he believed was biased in opposition to him, in addition to the information media.
However Trump was in a jovial temper this time. He even stated, I “may do that all day lengthy,” however possible must get again to extra urgent issues like efforts to quell the preventing in Russia’s warfare with Ukraine.
When an 8-year-old from North Carolina, requested if Santa can be mad if nobody leaves cookies out for him, Trump stated he didn’t suppose so, “However I feel he’ll be very disenchanted.”
“You realize, Santa’s — he tends to be somewhat bit on the cherubic aspect. You realize what cherubic means? Slightly on the heavy aspect,” Trump joked. “I feel Santa would love some cookies.”
The president and first girl Melania Trump sat side-by-side and took a few dozen calls between them. At one level, whereas his spouse was on the cellphone and Trump was ready to be linked to a different name, he famous how little consideration she was paying to him: “She’s in a position to focus completely, with out listening.”
Requested by an 8-year-old lady in Kansas what she’d like Santa to convey, the reply got here again, “Uh, not coal.”
“You imply clear, stunning coal?,” Trump replied, evoking a well-liked marketing campaign slogan he’s lengthy used when promising to revive home coal manufacturing.
“I had to do this, I’m sorry,” the president added, laughing and even inflicting the primary girl, who was on a separate name, to show towards him and grin.
“Coal is clear and delightful. Please keep in mind that, in any respect prices,” Trump stated. “However you don’t need clear, stunning coal, proper?”
“No,” the caller responded, saying she’d want a Barbie doll, garments and sweet.
Related Press author Darlene Superville contributed from Washington.
