Melania Trump was missing from the Trump family’s Christmas celebration, prompting many to wonder of her whereabouts. It was revealed that her mother, Amalija Knav, was ill, and that Melania was at the hospital taking care of her. In a video statement that was shared on social media, Donald Trump addresses his mother-in-law’s health, confirming that she’s “very ill.”

©Kimberly Guilfoyle

The video shows Trump at Mar-a-Lago, addressing an audience gathered on New Year’s Eve. In it, he wears a tux and speaks to an audience from the stage. He explains that Melania is not at the party since she’s at the hospital, caring for her mother. “Hopefully she’ll be recovering,” said Trump. “But she’s very ill. I just want to say hello to the First Lady. We just spoke and hopefully that’ll be okay, but it’s a tough one. She sent her love to everybody.”

The crowd had gathered at the Trump estate to ring in the New Year. “She knows probably about 95 percent of the people in this room,” he said. “We just want to wish Amalija that she gets better as quickly as possible.”

Trump didn’t share more details nor provided specifics regarding his mother-in-law’s illness.

Melania Trump’s relationship with her family

Sources near to Melania Trump reveal she’s very close to her parents and her family, and that it made sense for her to skip out on the celebrations in order to spend time with her mother. “Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family,” said a source to Fox News. “It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.”

The Trump family gathered at Mar-a-Lago, sharing a family photo that showed most of the family members standing together in front of a Christmas tree. The photo featured Trump in the middle flanked by his children Barron, Ivanka, Tiffany, and Donald Jr.