By WILL WEISSERT
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing youngsters calling in about what presents they have been enthusiastic about receiving, whereas promising to not let a “unhealthy Santa” infiltrate the nation and even suggesting {that a} stocking stuffed with coal will not be so unhealthy.
Vacationing at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, the president and first girl Melania Trump participated within the custom of speaking to children dialing into the North American Aerospace Protection Command, which playfully tracks Santa’s progress across the globe.
“We wish to guarantee that Santa is being good. Santa’s an excellent particular person,” Trump stated whereas talking to children ages 4 and 10 in Oklahoma. “We wish to guarantee that he’s not infiltrated, that we’re not infiltrating into our nation a nasty 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 Seaside, Fla. (AP Photograph/Alex Brandon)
1 of 3
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 Seaside, Fla. (AP Photograph/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 towards 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 probably must get again to extra urgent issues like efforts to quell the combating in Russia’s conflict 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 assume so, “However I believe he’ll be very dissatisfied.”
“, Santa’s — he tends to be a bit of bit on the cherubic aspect. what cherubic means? Just a little on the heavy aspect,” Trump joked. “I believe Santa would love some cookies.”
The president and first girl Melania Trump sat side-by-side and took a couple of 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 capable of focus completely, with out listening.”
Requested by an 8-year-old woman 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 popular marketing campaign slogan he’s lengthy used when promising to revive home coal manufacturing.
“I had to try 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 exquisite. Please do not forget that, in any respect prices,” Trump stated. “However you don’t need clear, stunning coal, proper?”
“No,” the caller responded, saying she’d desire a Barbie doll, garments and sweet.
Related Press author Darlene Superville contributed from Washington.
![[The Slingshot] Christmas is chilly in Den Haag](https://www.rappler.com/tachyon/2025/12/DUTERTE-XMAS-2.jpg "[The Slingshot] Christmas is chilly in Den Haag")
