North Korea's warning of a Christmas gift for the U.S. never came to fruition.
The U.S. for the last week has been closely watching Pyongyang for signs of a possible missile launch of nuclear test that officials were referring to as a "Christmas surprise."
The North Koreans warned of a possible "Christmas gift" in early December, saying the Trump administration was running out of time to salvage nuclear negotiations.
"North Korea has been advancing. It has been building new capabilities," Anthony Wier, a former State Department official who tracks nuclear disarmament for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, told the Associated Press on Dec. 20. "As long as that continues, they gain new capabilities to try new missiles to threaten us and our allies in new ways.”
But there was no military activity from North Korea as of late Wednesday, per The Hill.
Trump on Tuesday joked the gift could be a "beautiful vase as opposed to a missile test."
"We'll find out what the surprise is, and we'll deal with it very successfully," he told reporters Tuesday in Palm Beach, Florida, where he is spending the holidays.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.