Critics attacked former President Donald Trump when they noticed that former First Lady Melania Trump was missing from the family Christmas photo — but Trump confirmed the reason for her absence during his New Year’s Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago.
Taking the microphone and addressing party-goers, Trump announced that he had just gotten off the phone with Melania — who was at a Miami hospital with her mother, Amalija Knavs.
WATCH:
President Trump at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve 2023! pic.twitter.com/YmUSIJ8QHI
— Shannon Ford (@shannonfordUSA) January 1, 2024
“Her mother Amalija is very ill. Hopefully she’ll be recovering, but she’s been very ill, so … we just spoke, she’s down in Miami, a great hospital,” Trump said. “Hopefully, that’ll be okay, but it’s a tough one, a very tough one.”
“She sends her love to everybody,” Trump continued, adding, “She knows probably about 95 percent of the people in this room. We just want to wish Amalija that she gets better as quickly as possible.”
The former First Lady has reportedly been at her mother’s side since before Christmas, which was why she did not appear in the family photo. A source close to Melania Trump told Fox News Digital that the former First Lady had always been very close with her family, adding, “It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.”
But that did not stop critics and media outlets from speculating about all the possible reasons — up to and including claims that she couldn’t no longer stand her own husband — that she might have missed the moment.
Melania mystery: Why was the former first lady missing from family Christmas photo? https://t.co/Dwosw6BnTW
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) January 1, 2024
Trump Family Christmas photo. Melania wants nothing to do with her lowlife husband anymore. pic.twitter.com/WjDZbeNJgl
— Reno Ciccotta (@RenoCiccotta) December 27, 2023
One even suggested that Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump — who appeared in the photo with her husband Jared Kushner and their children — was “standing in as the former First Lady.”
Trump family Christmas portrait featuring Ivanka standing in as the former first lady.
Where is Melania? pic.twitter.com/T2OnZyPWWq
— BlueDream (@58bugeye) December 27, 2023
Trump did not reveal the nature of his mother-in-law’s illness, nor did he give any indication of her prognosis.