Donald Trump explains why Melania is missing from Christmas card and campaign trail

The holiday photo absence has only added to the mystery surrounding the ex-first lady, who has been MIA from her husband's 2024 campaign and court appearances.

• Donald Trump addressed his wife's noticeable absence from the family's Christmas photo.
• He said Melania was by her ailing mother's side in the hospital.
• The ex-first lady has been largely absent from her husband's 2024 campaign and court appearances.

Is the mystery of the missing Melania Trump solved?

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.

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.