US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in NORAD Santa tracker phone calls, on Christmas Eve, from the Mar-a-lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, December 24, 2025. © REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
(New York, NY) – ‘Twas the day after Christmas, and all through 77 WABC, just a few voices were stirring — including a Cat. Owner-operator John Catsimatidis was guest hosting “Sid and Friends in the Morning” with Sid Rosenberg on holiday break — when suddenly, the cell phone rang.
As a discussion was continuing on the air, President Donald Trump had called Catsimatidis’ cell phone. “Hold on, the president is calling,” John said.
It was a surreal moment that only happens in New York, and only at 77 WABC. Catsimatidis has explained earlier that he and President Trump were texting the night before, after air strikes were launched against ISIS in northern Nigeria. The African nation has been plagued by terrorist attacks that have brutalized the Christian community there. Even younger children and women haven’t been spared in the bloody Islamist attacks. But President Trump, to his credit, stepped up and took action when so many others wouldn’t or couldn’t.
The discussion also ranged into the ongoing military tensions between the US and Venezuela, under President Nicolás Maduro. President Trump has ordered the military to take out narcoterrorism drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific — off the coast of Venezuela. Catsimatidis noted how people on both sides of the political aisle are puzzled by Democrats’ opposition to the strikes on drug boats, given the way opioids have become an epidemic in the United States — killing hundreds of thousands of people due to overdose. That’s not even getting into how many lives and families the drugs have disrupted, even for people who live with addiction.
President Trump agreed and chalked it up to Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) — adding that if a “weak Republican” had launched the attacks, it would have been praised. He also admitted frustration during what have been challenging Russia-Ukraine peace talks. But President Trump sounded upbeat and optimistic about the direction of the US economy, following a year in which his tariffs dominated the headlines. With the Q3 GDP beating expectations, and foreign investment pouring in amid those tariffs, the hope is the US Supreme Court will not rule that Trump’s economic policies were unlawful.
The “Sid and Friends in the Morning” interview with President Trump ended on a lighthearted note, as we teased that Sid Rosenberg would be jealous we spoke to him as fill-in hosts, during holiday break. And the president was complimentary in his response, offering up praise for Catsimatidis and his chops as a radio talker — while also praising Sid.
It was the day after Christmas, and snow was on the way. President Trump was down in Florida for his family’s celebration, and Catsimatidis was hard at work in the studio. A text message and a phone call later — two longtime friends who happen to both be billionaires were chatting away — for an audience of millions. Only in New York. And only at 77 WABC.
