President Biden is speaking out publicly for the first time about his granddaughter, Navy Joan Roberts, the estranged daughter of his son Hunter Biden who he had previously not acknowledged.
‘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 in a statement to Fox News Digital.
‘This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,’ he added. ‘Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.’
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden had repeatedly refused to acknowledge Navy, frequently omitting her by claiming they only have ‘four granddaughters.’
December 2022 marked the second Christmas season in a row that the White House left Navy out of a Christmas stocking display, and before that, in 2020, Biden incorrectly said he and First Lady Jill Biden had five grandchildren, forgetting about then-newborn Beau Biden, but completely leaving out Navy.
At a White House ‘take your child to work day’ event in April, Biden claimed to only have six grandchildren. ‘I have six grandchildren, and I’m crazy about them. And I speak to them every single day. Not a joke,’ he said.
Earlier this month, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shut down a reporter’s question concerning Navy, saying she didn’t ‘have anything to share.’
In June, Hunter settled his Arkansas child support case with Roberts’ mother, Lunden Alexis Roberts, ending a years-long paternity dispute. A court filing showed Hunter agreed to give his daughter some of his paintings, and the mother of the child agreed to withdraw her counterclaim to change their child’s last name to ‘Biden.’