Trump promises Melania will be on 2024 campaign trail ‘quite a bit’ in Fox town hall

Donald Trump has said that his wife Melania will be out “quite a bit” during his ongoing campaign to reclaim the White House, despite her recent absence from the spotlight.

Mr Trump praised the former first lady, at a town hall event in South Carolina on Tuesday, during which he described her as a “very brilliant person” who had done “a beautiful job in raising my very tall son”.

Over the Christmas period, the whereabouts of Ms Trump raised questions after she did not appear in several family photographs. Mr Trump later said that she had been spending time with her mother, Amalija Knavs, who later died in early January.

During Tuesday’s event, he was asked whether his wife would be returning to his campaign trail.

“She's a very brilliant person. She speaks many languages,” he replied. “Her life evolves around that boy it’s so important to her – at the same time, it also revolves around our country and the success of our country. She’s raised a lot of money for charity.

He continued: “She’s a private person. It’s funny, she was a very successful model, very, very successful, and yet she was a private person. She’s going to be out a lot, not because she likes doing it, but she likes the result. She wants to see this country really succeed.

“[The people] love the fact that she’s not out there so much.

“You know, a lot of first ladies will go out. They want to be everywhere. They get angry at their husband because he’s not introducing them. If I didn’t introduce Melania she’d be very happy about it. She’s just a different kind of a person. And she loves the country.

“She’s gonna be out quite a bit and she loves his country and she wants a great and she says hello.”

Following her notable absence from the Christmas celebrations, it was revealed that Ms Trump had been spending time with her ailing mother.

“Melania has always been very devoted to her entire family,” the source close to the former First Lady told Page Six, at the time. “It should be no surprise that she spent this Christmas with her ailing mother.”

Announcing the news, Ms Trump wrote on X: “Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity. She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law.

“We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy.”

Mr Trump condoled Knavs’s death and described her as an “incredible woman”.