BUSINESS INSIDER
Donald Trump addressed his wife’s absence from a family Christmas photo that caused tongues to wag in recent days.
The photo, taken at Mar-a-Lago, featured most of the Trump family, including their 17-year-old son Barron, Melania’s father, and other notables.
Sources told the press that she was tied up with a family matter, and on New Year’s Eve, Trump told a gathering that Melania was with her mother, Amalija Knavs, in the hospital.
President Trump at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve 2023!
— Shannon Ford (@shannonfordUSA) January 1, 2024
Speaking on a video captured by an attendee that was posted on X, he wished his mother-in-law a rapid recovery while adding, “it’s a tough one, a very tough one.”
“Melania, great first lady, so popular, the people love her,” he assured the gathering. “She sends her love to everybody.”
The former first lady has largely disappeared from the public eye since Donald Trump left the Oval Office in 2020, except for a few public events. She went to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral service in November and spoke at a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in December.
She’s stayed away from her husband’s numerous court appearances and avoided joining him on the campaign trail. Time will tell if, after her mother convalesces, she joins her husband on the campaign trail — or in next year’s Christmas card.
