A 7-year-old from South Carolina girl still left cookies out on Christmas Eve even after President Donald Trump cast doubt on her belief in Santa Claus.
As part of his Christmas Eve duties, Trump responded to a call Monday night from Collman Lloyd of Lexington, who had contacted the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which has operated a Santa tracker since 1995, in search of St. Nick, The Post and Courier reported. A scientist answered her call and asked Lloyd if she would like to speak with the nation’s leader.
“Are you still a believer in Santa?” Trump asks.
“Yes, sir,” she answered with certainty.
“Because at 7, it’s marginal, right?” Trump asked.
The 7-year-old reportedly did not know what “marginal” meant, so she responded, “Yes, sir.”
“You just enjoy yourself,” Trump concluded.
Donald Trump, answering phone call from 7-year-old on Christmas Eve: "Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven it's marginal, right?" pic.twitter.com/VHexvFSbQ1
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 25, 2018
The question confused Collman. “I was like, ‘wow.’ I was shocked. It wasn’t really (nerve-wracking), I just had to think of what the truth was,” she told the newspaper.
Trump, meanwhile, got hammered by critics for an attempt to question a child’s belief in Santa.
In a week of plunging stocks, a government shutdown and U.S. defense chief Mattis' unceremonious departure, Trump, stuck in White House instead of playing golf in sunny Florida, casts doubt on a 7-year-old's cherished childhood fantasy @Reuters https://t.co/MkyKUGKVHD
— Hümeyra Pamuk (@humeyra_pamuk) December 25, 2018
As for Collman, she and her siblings left milk and cookies for Santa. The next morning, they were done and she found presents under the Christmas tree. She got an American girl doll, according to The Post and Courier.
Santa is real after all, she concluded.
