WASHINGTON — At what age do children wise up to the truth about Santa? President Trump would like to know.
In a Christmas Eve call with a young child Monday night, Trump asked a 7-year-old named Coleman whether he or she still believes in Santa Claus, saying that was a “marginal” age for knowing the truth.
“Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven, it’s marginal, right?” Trump asked the child.
Coleman’s response, though inaudible to the press, left Trump with a chuckle and a smile.
The call came around 6:30 p.m. as the President and first lady Melania Trump spoke on separate phones to children whose calls to NORAD had been patched through to the White House lines.
In front of a crackling fire and between two Christmas trees, President Trump wished the young Coleman a Merry Christmas and asked the child’s age, Christmas plans and how he or she was doing in school.
“Well, honey, happy Christmas, and you just take care of yourself and say hello to your family, OK? Say hello to everybody,” Trump said.
In another phone call, Trump took a child’s belief in Santa as a given.
“What’s Santa going to get you for Christmas?” he asked, according to pool reports. “Have a great Christmas, and I’ll talk to you again, OK?”
Melania Trump said on Twitter that helping children track Santa “is becoming one of my favorite traditions!” The couple participated in phone calls last year as well.
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, has made a tradition of using its radar system to track Santa on his trip around the globe every Christmas Eve.
The tradition, which began with a phone line mix-up in 1955, continued this year despite the ongoing government shutdown.
