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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/25/us/politics/trump-santa-claus-believer.html
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Kids, Please Don’t Read This Article on What Trump Said About Santa Claus | Kids, Please Don’t Read This Article on What Trump Said About Santa Claus |
(about 14 hours later) | |
Hey, kids under 8 years old, thanks for reading The New York Times. But this time, please don’t. Maybe go play Minecraft or something instead. | Hey, kids under 8 years old, thanks for reading The New York Times. But this time, please don’t. Maybe go play Minecraft or something instead. |
… O.K., are they gone now? Cool. Here’s what President Trump said to a child about Santa Claus on Monday: “Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at 7, it’s marginal, right?” | |
“Yes, sir,” the child, Collman, responded twice. She had spoken with the president for at least 10 seconds before he suggested that her parents had been lying to her all her life. | |
She also told him she planned to put out cookies, according to The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., which obtained video of Collman’s side of the conversation. | |
The president made the comments from the White House while he and the first lady, Melania Trump, fielded calls from a hotline for children wondering where Santa was. | |
Mr. Trump’s faux pas was roundly mocked on social media, where he was criticized for breaking the covenant in which we have all agreed to deceive our children. | Mr. Trump’s faux pas was roundly mocked on social media, where he was criticized for breaking the covenant in which we have all agreed to deceive our children. |
But in case you’re wondering: The president was right. It is, indeed, marginal at 7. | But in case you’re wondering: The president was right. It is, indeed, marginal at 7. |
Most children stop believing in Santa somewhere between 5 and 8 years old, according to several studies. That range has been largely consistent for decades; a 1978 study said that 85 percent of 5-year-olds believed, while just 25 percent of 8-year-olds kept the faith. | Most children stop believing in Santa somewhere between 5 and 8 years old, according to several studies. That range has been largely consistent for decades; a 1978 study said that 85 percent of 5-year-olds believed, while just 25 percent of 8-year-olds kept the faith. |
One 2015 study from Australia found that children are catching on earlier, perhaps because the internet is full of spoilers. | One 2015 study from Australia found that children are catching on earlier, perhaps because the internet is full of spoilers. |
It appeared the Trumps were enjoying the occasion, which is part of the annual Santa-tracking program run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as Norad. Mr. Trump let out an ear-to-ear smile during his discussion with Collman, while Mrs. Trump called it “one of my favorite traditions.” | |
And Collman, who was probably going to figure it out eventually anyway, will now have a story to tell for the rest of her life. Merry Christmas to all. |