President Donald Trump set off a Christmas social media storm when he asked whether a 7-year-old was too old to believe in Santa Claus, capping a week of plunging stocks, a government shutdown and the U.S. defense chief's unceremonious departure.

Twitter lit up like a Christmas tree after Trump made his remark during a holiday event with first lady Melania Trump, taking calls from children calling the North American Aerospace Defense Command Santa tracker.

A Christmas tradition, the tracker delights children with "real-time" updates on Saint Nick's Christmas Eve journey.