On Christmas Eve, President Donald Trump engaged with children across the United States during a tradition where the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa Claus. In a playful exchange, Trump told a young girl that coal is “beautiful,” humorously dismissing the common notion that naughty children receive coal in their stockings.
While speaking from Mar-a-Lago, Trump asked a child named Amelia, calling from Kansas, what she would like from Santa. When she expressed her desire for anything but coal, Trump responded, “You mean, clean beautiful coal. I had to do that, I’m sorry. Coal is clean and beautiful, please remember that—at all cost,” prompting laughter.
NORAD has been taking calls from children every Christmas since 1955, allowing families to track Santa’s journey. This year, Trump participated in the 70-year tradition alongside First Lady Melania Trump, with the calls broadcast live on C-SPAN. Throughout the evening, Trump frequently lightened the mood with jokes, often steering conversations toward his political achievements, which likely went over the heads of many young callers.
Trump’s mention of “clean beautiful coal” aligns with his administration’s efforts to promote fossil fuels and enhance energy production while reducing costs. His interaction with children included a notable reference to his political success in Pennsylvania. When speaking to a five-year-old from the state, he declared, “Pennsylvania is great, we won Pennsylvania, actually three times. We won it in a landslide, so I love Pennsylvania.”
In the November 2024 election, Trump secured 312 electoral votes in Pennsylvania, achieving 49.8% of the popular vote against then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 226 votes and 48.3% of the popular vote. Contrast this with the 2020 election, where Joe Biden won the state with 50.0% of the vote, and in 2016, Trump had previously secured it with 48.6% of the vote against Hillary Clinton’s 47.9%.
During another call, a child from North Carolina inquired whether Santa would be upset if he didn’t find cookies at their home. Trump reassured the young caller, 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, do you know what cherubic means? He’s a little on the heavy side.” He encouraged the child to leave cookies, humorously adding, “I think Santa has a serious appetite.”
The evening’s conversations resonated on social media, particularly when Trump complimented one girl, stating she sounded “so beautiful and cute,” and “so smart.” He also took the opportunity to explain to a young caller why NORAD tracks Santa, saying, “We want to make sure that Santa is being good—that Santa is a very good person. We want to make sure that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”
According to the White House, over 605,000 individuals have been deported from the U.S. since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, with an additional 1.9 million reportedly self-deporting. As the evening concluded, Trump’s festive engagement with children served as a reminder of the enduring spirit of holiday traditions, while also intertwining his political messaging.
