Trump Derangement Syndrome extends to news regarding all members of former President Donald Trump’s family.
Former first lady Melania Trump’s absence from a family Christmas photo taken at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida prompted wild and largely vicious speculation on social media about why she did not appear.
Page Six reported on Wednesday, however, that Melania missed the photo while attending to her ailing mother, Amalija Knavs.
Melania Trump, in fact, was not present at Mar-a-Lago because she spent time by her mother’s side in the hospital.
As one might expect, the Trump photo went viral and elicited the usual array of comments, some of which focused on the fact that Donald and Melania Trump’s 17-year-old son Barron now stands at least 6-foot-7-inches tall and towers over everyone in his family.
The former president’s son, Eric Trump, and wife, Lara Trump, also did not appear in the photo.
Melania-related speculation, however, turned nasty. And it came from across the political spectrum.
Proud Elephant, a conservative account with more than 323,000 followers on the social media platform X, resorted to gossip.
Was Melania Trump the best first lady the U.S. has ever had?
“Rumors are that their marriage is struggling big time. It’s starting to show more and more…,” Proud Elephant posted.
Rumors are that their marriage is struggling big time.
It’s starting to show more and more…
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) December 27, 2023
Proud Elephant also regularly posts content favorable to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, once seen as Trump’s main rival for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
That makes Proud Elephant perhaps a misguided gossip-monger but a reliable conservative.
One cannot say the same for others who speculated on reasons for Melania Trump’s absence.
Richard Signorelli, former U.S. Attorney with the Southern District of New York, came straight out of TDS central casting.
Signorelli’s bio on X features a Ukrainian flag and He/Him/His pronouns. Furthermore, the establishment lawyer’s profile also sports the most hilariously ironic hashtag in social media history: #resist.
That hashtag originated in 2016 with liberals who wanted to fancy themselves part of a resistance while simultaneously siding with an anti-Trump establishment that included — and still includes — every powerful institution in the United States.
“Melania Trump missing from festive family Christmas photo at Mar-a-Lago. She’s playing hardball w/ her psycho husband re the renegotiation of her prenup. The rest of Trump’s vile family must hate her since more for her less for them,” the establishment lawyer posted.
Melania Trump missing from festive family Christmas photo at Mar-a-Lago
She’s playing hardball w/ her psycho husband re the renegotiation of her prenup. The rest of Trump’s vile family must hate her since more for her less for them.https://t.co/HShacq7rPT via @pagesix— Richard Signorelli 🌱🇺🇦 🌊 (@richsignorelli) December 27, 2023
Predictably, Signorelli has attracted other posers with #resist in their bios.
“Absolutely. This all feels like something transactional/financial is being worked out for 2024,” one such poser replied.
Absolutely. This all feels like something transactional/financial is being worked out for 2024.
— (@thejohnbronson) December 27, 2023
Trump supporters, of course, rallied to Melania Trump’s defense.
Salty Texan, a pro-Trump account with more than 28,000 followers on X, posted the Page Six report for “dopey leftists.”
“For all the dopey leftists out there… Melania Trump was absent from her family’s festive Christmas card because she’s been taking care of her ailing mother. The first lady’s mom, Amalija Knavs, has been very sick in the hospital, and Melania was by her side instead of at the party where the image was snapped. #Trump2024,” Salty Texan wrote.
For all the dopey leftists out there…
Melania Trump was absent from her family’s festive Christmas card because she’s been taking care of her ailing mother.
The first lady’s mom, Amalija Knavs, has been very sick in the hospital, and Melania was by her side instead of at the…
— 🇺🇲Salty Texan (@texan_maga) December 27, 2023
One X user replied that Salty Texan wasted time by trying to impress such things upon leftists.
“Explaining how family ACTUALLY works in a healthy, functional way to them, is like teaching a hamster to vacuum the house. A+ for the futile effort and truth tho!” the user wrote.
Explaining how family ACTUALLY works in a healthy, functional way to them, is like teaching a hamster to vacuum the house. A+ for the futile effort and truth tho! 🙏😂🤣
— Sæn Bürnęd (@s_burned_s) December 27, 2023
To those who have witnessed TDS in action for eight years, the disrespect shown Melania Trump comes as no surprise.
One would like to think that gossipers and haters would feel ashamed now that they know the reason for her absence from the Christmas photo.
Alas, TDS symptoms include the inability to feel shame.
