Girl, 7, who talked to Trump still believes
A 7-year-old who talked to US President Donald Trump still left out milk and biscuits for Santa. That’s after Trump told her it was “marginal” for someone her age to still believe.
Then again, Collman Lloyd of Lexington, South Carolina, told the
Post and Courier of Charleston that she’d never heard the word “marginal” before.
Collman had called the NORAD Tracks Santa programme on Christmas Eve.
Six minutes later, Trump was on the line. His chat with Collman was initially reported as being with a boy named Coleman.
“Hello, is this Collman? Merry Christmas. How are you? How old are you?” Trump said. Reporters could not hear the child’s responses.
Trump asked: “Are you still a believer in Santa?”
She responded, “Yes, sir,” and Trump added, “Because at 7, that’s marginal, right?”
She replied, “Yes sir.” Marginal or not, the next morning the food was gone and presents were under the tree.
Parents have debated for years about how much information to give or withhold from their children about the Tooth Fairy and Santa. Data from a study by University of Texas psychologist Jacqueline Woolley cited by the Atlantic in 2014 showed that 5 is the peak age for nurturing this kind of innocent belief: 82 per cent of 5-year-olds believe in Santa, she found. By 7, that number is around 60 per cent. By 9, it’s down to about 30. — AP, Washington Post