A child's innocent Christmas Eve call to track Santa turned awkward when President Donald Trump praised an eight-year-old's Kindle wish by declaring him a 'high-IQ person' who represents what America needs more of. The offhand remark from Mar-a-Lago, captured on CBS News, detonated online—splitting festive cheer between eye-rolls and outrage.
What should have been a feel-good NORAD tradition instead became viral fodder, with netizens questioning the President's bedside manner. Whilst some chuckled at the candour, critics decried it as tone-deaf, especially amid a 70-year ritual meant to spark wonder, not IQ tests.
While answering calls from children calling NORAD to track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, President Trump told Spencer, age 8, that "We need more high-IQ people in the country," after the child said he wanted a Kindle for Christmas. pic.twitter.com/Ue9IzfrVbP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 25, 2025
Donald Trump's Christmas Call Controversy: The Kindle Kid Moment
NORAD's Santa Tracker, now in its 70th year, began accidentally when a child dialled a misprinted 'Santa hotline' reaching Colonel Harry Shoup's command centre. Shoup played along: 'Ho, ho, ho, I am Santa.' The crew thought he'd lost it. Since then, presidents from Eisenhower onward have joined, fielding thousands of calls from excited youngsters tracking the sleigh via military radar.
On December 24, 2025, Trump and Melania Trump took their turn. Speaking to eight-year-old Spencer from Washington state—who wanted a Kindle—Trump praised the choice: 'Oh wow, that's pretty good. You must be a high-IQ person. We need more high-IQ people in the country.' Elsewhere, he touted 'clean, beautiful coal' to a girl fearing the naughty list, and warned of vetting Santa against 'bad' infiltrators.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?
— Jmetal (@Jmetal158734) December 25, 2025
Someone please take not-so-great-great grandpa to night-night?
The clip went viral. X erupted: 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? Someone please take not-so-great-great grandpa to night-night?' Another jabbed, 'We need to start with high IQ president.' One user observed, 'He has absolutely no idea of how to be a normal human.' A parent fretted, 'We let him talk to children?' Defenders countered: 'Funny. Best President Ever!!'
For families, the sting lands personally. Christmas calls should spark wonder, not expose children to adult IQ metrics. Spencer's parents likely beamed at first—until online pile-ons twisted a proud moment into partisan fodder. Trump's style—blunt, unfiltered—thrives in rallies, but wilts in Santa's workshop.
someone who doesn’t know how to interact with children because he hardly interacted with his own when they were young
— ashley (@sweetlilpoppy) December 25, 2025
Donald Trump's NORAD Tradition: Magic Meets Political Reality
NORAD fields 400,000 calls yearly with 1,250 volunteers. Trump joined predecessors like Obama and Biden, but his calls invariably bleed politics. Past gems: questioning a seven-year-old's Santa belief ('At 7, that's marginal, right?'). This year added coal plugs and border Santa checks.
Critics see pattern: a President uncomfortable with innocence, injecting worldview into whimsy. Supporters view authenticity—no scripted platitudes. Yet for everyday Americans tuning in, the human cost registers: traditions tainted, children politicised.
The backlash underscores deeper divides. In Trump's America, even Santa's sleigh carries ideological baggage. For parents monitoring language around kids, it's reminder: public figures shape norms. One ill-chosen phrase turns holiday magic into meme fodder.
As NORAD logs another year, Trump's participation endures—a 70-year ritual colliding with 21st-century scrutiny. Whether high-IQ quip was jest or gaffe, it humanised the President: flawed, impulsive, utterly himself. For families, though, Christmas calls remain sacred ground. Tread carefully.
This isn't just viral clip fodder. It reveals how leaders shape childhood wonder. Trump's style—raw, revealing—thrives in boardrooms, but Santa's sleigh demands gentleness. For parents, the lesson stings: even presidents fumble innocence.
