President Donald Trump was overheard calling an 8-year-old girl “beautiful” and “cute” during a Christmas Eve phone call, prompting mixed reactions online. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump took calls from children across the country on Dec. 24, continuing a White House holiday tradition in which the First Couple relays messages to and from Santa Claus.
One caller, Anna from North Carolina, asked Trump a question she said was important. Before getting to it, the president greeted her, asked how she was doing, and replied that he was fine—then added, “You sound so beautiful and cute.”
Trump went on to ask Anna’s age and praised the way she spoke. “Wow. So smart. You sound so smart,” he said, before asking if she had anything she wanted to ask Santa or anything she’d like to know about him.
Anna’s question was whether Santa would be upset if she didn’t leave out cookies and milk. Trump asked her to repeat the question, then said he didn’t think Santa would be angry, but he might be disappointed if there were no treats waiting. He also joked that “Santa tends to be a little on the cherubic side.”
During the exchange, Trump also referred to the girl as “honey” multiple times and complimented North Carolina, a sentiment he repeated to children who called in from Oklahoma and Pennsylvania—three states he carried in the presidential election.
Online reaction to the call quickly split. Critics argued the remarks were inappropriate and pointed to what they described as especially poor timing, referencing the Department of Justice’s release of the Epstein files. One user wrote that the call came at “disastrous timing” after Trump told an 8-year-old she sounded “beautiful and cute.” Another called it “disgusting,” while others described the behavior as “gross” and labeled him a “creep.”
Defenders, however, said the comments were being overinterpreted. “That’s ridiculous, I don’t like him, but there is nothing wrong with his language here,” one wrote. Another added, “No harm there.”
