Melania Trump has mostly kept to herself in the years since her husband lost the 2020 election. Even after Donald Trump officially entered the 2024 presidential race, the former first lady has hardly been seen at his campaign events.
She was also conspicuously missing from the Trumps’ Christmas photo at Mar-a-Lago, reportedly because of a family matter. According to Fox News, which cited a source close to Melania Trump, the former first lady “spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.” Neither NBC News nor MSNBC has independently confirmed the reports.
The family photo (which does include Melania Trump’s father, Viktor Knavs) was shared on Instagram on Tuesday by Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée.
The former president’s second son, Eric Trump, also was not pictured, but it was Melania Trump’s absence that raised eyebrows. She has largely retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House, appearing at public events only occasionally. She attended former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s funeral service in November, and she gave remarks at a naturalization ceremony two weeks ago at the National Archives.
The New York Times reported in July that Melania Trump maintains a busy private life and was focused on helping her 17-year-old son, Barron Trump, with his college search. As election season ramps up in 2024 and her husband stares at the prospect of sitting for several criminal trials, she may just turn up at a few more public events than usual.