Trump Tells Child He Wants ‘To Make Sure’ That ‘A Bad Santa’ Doesn’t Enter U.S.
During a Christmas Eve NORAD call with children, President Trump used the Santa tracker conversation to promote misinformation about coal. When a child stated she did not want coal as a Christmas gift, Trump interjected to insist that coal is “clean and beautiful,” contradicting established scientific consensus that coal is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
Trump’s remarks about tracking Santa included unsolicited commentary about border security, telling one child that officials monitor Santa “all over the world” to ensure “a bad Santa” does not “infiltrate into our country.” The president connected the fictional scenario to his policy priorities, characterizing national entry oversight through the Santa metaphor.
When asked by another child what present she wanted, Trump engaged in typical gift-discussion banter, offering to help secure a dollhouse. However, his fixation on coal misinformation dominated his interactions, repeatedly correcting the child’s preference and demanding she “remember that at all costs” regarding coal’s environmental properties.
The exchange demonstrated Trump’s pattern of using informal settings with children to advance false or misleading claims about energy policy and security narratives. Similar instances show Trump using holiday events to promote debunked talking points, prioritizing messaging over age-appropriate conversation.
Trump’s insistence that coal is environmentally benign contradicts decades of peer-reviewed research and international climate data. His deployment of misinformation during a family-oriented charitable broadcast reflects his consistent strategy of embedding false claims into casual public appearances to expand their reach and normalize their repetition.