27 December 2023 , 21:52
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It was a holly, jolly Christmas for the Trump family this year, and family photos prove it. Posted to Kimberly Guilfoyle's Instagram — Donald Trump, Jr's fiancée — the photos show the entire Trump family posing in front of a giant Christmas tree, smiling in their dapper suits and flawless dresses.
But one important family figure seemed to be missing from the pic — Melania Trump, the family's matriarch and the wife of former President Donald Trump.
Her absence has many begging the question: Where was the former First Lady, and why wasn't she with the rest of the family as they celebrated Christmas?
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Melania Trump's public appearances recently have been few and far between (Getty Images)The photo depicted 17-year-old Barron Trump, seemingly all grown up and towering above his father in the back of the group, nearly as tall as the tree itself. Donald Jr, Ivanka and Jared Kushner and their kids and multiple other members of the family made appearances.
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The party was held at the infamous Mar-a-Lago estate, where the former president was accused of stashing dozens of boxes of classified documents, some even in the shower, which has become the subject of one of the four major criminal indictments he faces.
A Trump family spokesperson told Page Six that Melania was off attending to another family matter, but wouldn't specify what the matter was. Fox News reports the former Slovenian model was spending the Christmas period with her 'ailing mother'. Multiple reports state Amalija Knavs, 78, is sick in hospital, and former first lady Melania is thought to have been by her side.
Nevertheless, the 53-year-old was absent from the proceedings — which she seems to have been for much of Trump's pending trials and charges, too.
Melania will reportedly be upping her public appearances in 2024 ahead of her husband's reelection bid (Getty Images)It remains unclear if she's been trying to distance herself from her husband due to the controversies he finds himself mired in or if she simply had other matters, as the spokesperson claimed.
Page Six reported that she plans to increase her public appearances and is supportive of Donald's bid for the presidency in 2024. It would be his second term, but not consecutive, after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, then incited a riot at the Capitol and claimed the election had been stolen — the subjects of two other indictments the former president faces, one at the federal level and one in Georgia, where much of the fraud is said to have occurred.
Melania is said to be ready to accept her role as First Lady again, more so than the first time, as the election approaches (AFP via Getty Images)"Trump and his family are so secure that he will become president again that insiders at Mar-a-Lago say he's reached an agreement with Melania to step up top-tier diplomatic appearances in 2024," a source told the publication.
Trump is currently the forerunner for the election, not just in his own Republican Party but nationally as polls show him beating out Biden — even among younger, usually less conservative voters.
The full image (Kimberly Guilfoyle/Instagram)One of Melania's last public appearances was at the funeral for former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died a few weeks ago. The ceremony was held in her home state of Georgia, and Melania was joined by other former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush. Current First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was there, too.
She was also present at a citizens' naturalisation ceremony hosted at the National Archives a couple of weeks ago. But the exact reasoning behind her absence at the Trump Christmas celebration remains unclear — and only time will tell whether she'll actually appear more in 2024 ahead of what is set to be a groundbreaking election in November.