President Biden acknowledged his 4-year-old granddaughter Friday, offering his first public comment about Navy Joan Roberts several weeks after her mother Lunden Roberts and the president’s son Hunter Biden reached a child support agreement in an Arkansas court.
Biden’s statement, which was first provided to People, came after a long-running paternity and child support dispute prompted criticism that the president had not acknowledged or welcomed his seventh grandchild. Hunter Biden, who denied paternity until it was established after a DNA test, reached a deal with Lunden Roberts a month ago to reduce his $20,000-a-month child support payments and provide some of his artwork to the young girl.
Critics of the president had noted that while he had spoken about his relationship with his six other grandchildren, he had generally failed to mention Navy Roberts when discussing his family. Earlier this month, following a story about the granddaughter, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd penned a column criticizing the Biden family for not embracing his granddaughter.
In Friday’s statement, coming shortly before he headed off on vacation, the president suggested that the family is trying to create the best atmosphere for his seventh grandchild.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said. “This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Biden, who begins a week-long vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, had not shared his reasoning for not speaking publicly about Navy Roberts. But a person familiar with the family, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private matters, said Biden had refrained from weighing in while the court case was ongoing.
“You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy’s parents happening until just a few weeks ago,” the person said. “As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter’s lead.”
It is not known if the president has ever met his granddaughter in Arkansas, and it is unclear how the family dynamic might change in the aftermath of this disclosure.
“A lot has thankfully been sorted out, and Navy’s parents are working on a way forward that’s best for her,” the person said. “At the center is a 4-year-old girl, and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents.”
As part of the recent deal, Lunden Roberts agreed to drop her attempts to rename their daughter. She had petitioned to give Navy Roberts the last name Biden, arguing that it carried prestige and cachet. Hunter Biden had resisted the move.
Hunter Biden also initially denied Navy Roberts was his daughter, but a DNA test in 2019 proved their relationship. In his memoir, in which he detailed the depths of his struggles with drug addiction, he wrote that he remembered little about the period of his life that included his involvement with Lunden Roberts.
In a separate legal matter, Hunter Biden appeared in a Delaware federal court this week to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors, an agreement that would probably allow him to avoid jail time. A judge put the plea deal on hold, but prosecutors and Hunter Biden’s team are continuing their efforts to finalize it.
The White House has avoided answering questions about Hunter Biden’s legal disputes and the Bidens’ relationship with Navy Roberts. Earlier this month, after a New York Times report on Hunter Biden’s child support battle, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether the president acknowledged the 4-year-old as his granddaughter.
“I don’t have anything to share from here,” Jean-Pierre said.03:49 PM
