Trump tells child he wants to ensure "bad Santa" isn't "infiltrating" U.S.
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President Trump talks with children as he participates in tracking Santa Claus' movements with the NORAD Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 24. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Trump discussed with kids Wednesday Santa Claus' Christmas Eve journey being followed through the North American Aerospace Defense Command's (NORAD) tracking program during calls that were peppered with joviality and banter.
The big picture: First lady Melania Trump also took part in the calls from their home in Palm Beach, Florida, which helped kick off the NORAD Santa-tracking tradition that's now in its 70th year. Less traditional were some of the president's comments to the children during the calls.
What they're saying: During one call, a 10-year-old in Oklahoma asked the president about tracking Santa's movements.
- "We track Santa all over the world," Trump said. "We want to make sure that Santa is being good. Santa is a very good person.
- "We want to make sure that he's not infiltrated, that we're not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa. But we found out that Santa is good, Santa loves you, Santa loves Oklahoma like I do. You know, Oklahoma was very good to me in the election, so I love Oklahoma. Don't ever leave Oklahoma, OK?"
- When an 8-year-old from Kansas told Trump she didn't want Santa to bring her coal, the president who's pushed to expand mining and paused leases for offshore wind projects replied: "You mean clean, beautiful coal."
- He apologized but said he "had to do that," adding: "Coal is clean and beautiful, please remember that at all costs. But you don't want clean, beautiful coal, right?"
- The child replied, "No."
Zoom out: Trump later shared on Truth Social a message that's become something of a holiday tradition for the president, wishing a "Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum."
- He said these people were "doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly" — pointing to his economic credentials and his administration's policies, including tariffs.
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