Donald Trump has revealed that Melania's mother is "very ill" as he addressed concerns surrounding his wife's absence from a recent family Christmas photo and his New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago.

The former president confirmed that Melania was unable to join the family's Christmas and New Year's celebrations at their Palm Beach, Florida, estate because she was at a Miami hospital, supporting her ailing mother, Amalija Knavs.

"Melania -- great First Lady, so popular, the people love her -- she's now in a hospital with her mother. Her mother, Amalija, is very ill," Trump said in a video from the gathering shared on X, formerly Twitter.

He expressed hope for Knavs' recovery and told the crowd that the former first lady "sends her love."

"But she's been very ill, so I just want to say 'hello' to the first lady [Melania] -- we just spoke, down in Miami, great hospital -- and hopefully they'll be ok, but it's a tough one, it's a very tough one," Trump said.

"We just want to wish Amalija that she gets better as quickly as possible," he added.

Trump did not share further details about Knavs' illness.

Last week, an unnamed source told Page Six that Melania was missing from a Trump family photo taken on Christmas because she was caring for her 78-year-old mother.

Another unnamed insider reportedly close to the former model emphasized her dedication to her family.

"Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family. It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother," the second source told Fox News Digital.

The Trump family photo, shared by Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, featured the former president, Trump Jr., Guilfoyle, Barron Trump, Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, their children, and Tiffany Trump with husband Michael Boulos.

In addition to addressing family matters, Trump's New Year's Eve party featured entertainment by rapper Vanilla Ice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and an Elvis impersonator.

Videos shared on social media showed Trump standing in the room as Vanilla Ice performed for the crowd.

Trump also expressed optimism about the upcoming year as he spoke to attendees.

"We're going to have a fantastic year. Our country has gone to hell, but we're going to turn it around, we're going to turn it around quickly," he said, according to Palm Beach Post.

Melania's recent absences from Trump's holiday festivities came after Page Six reported she would increase her public appearances in support of her husband's 2024 presidential campaign.

An unnamed source previously told the outlet that she and the rest of the Trump family were "solidly behind" his third bid for the White House.

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