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President Donald Trump joked with children during NORAD Santa Tracker calls on Christmas Eve, praising "high-IQ" kids, answering questions about Santa and mixing holiday cheer with familiar political asides.
US President Donald Trump.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 25, 2025 04:46 IST
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stepped into the holiday spirit on Christmas Eve, taking calls from children across the United States eager to share their wish lists ahead of Santa Claus’ arrival.
Joining the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Santa Tracker hotline from Mar-a-Lago, Trump praised several young callers for their gift choices.
When a child said they wanted a Kindle for Christmas, the president responded, “You must be a high-IQ person.” “We need more high IQ people in the country,” Trump said.
The comment set the tone for a series of lighthearted exchanges that blended holiday cheer with Trump’s trademark humor and political asides.
A child from North Carolina asked whether Santa would be angry if no cookies were left out.
“I think he won’t get mad, but I think he’ll be very disappointed,” Trump replied. “You know, Santa, he tends to be a little bit on the cherubic side. Do you know what cherubic means? A little on the heavy side. I think Santa would like some cookies.”
Another caller from Kansas said they hoped Santa would not bring coal.
“Not coal, no you don’t want coal — you mean clean, beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry,” Trump said with a laugh. He added, “No, 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 also tied the festive calls to politics. Speaking with two children from Oklahoma, he praised the state for backing him in the last election.
“Santa loves you. Santa loves Oklahoma like I do,” he said. “Oklahoma was very good to me in the election. So I love Oklahoma. Don’t ever leave Oklahoma, OK?”
Between calls, Trump told reporters that he could take calls from children “all day long,” but said he needed to return to major global issues, including Russia, China and Ukraine.
“This is fun, right?” Trump said during a pause between calls. “This is America.”
The NORAD Santa Tracker, a long-running Christmas Eve tradition, allows children to call in and follow Santa’s progress around the world, turning the final hours before Christmas into a mix of excitement, reassurance and festive chatter.
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Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Dec 25, 2025
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