WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, He publicly acknowledged his son Hunter’s daughter for the first time on Friday, breaking a long silence on the matter by describing the situation as a “family matter.”
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interest of their daughter while preserving her privacy as much as possible moving forward,” Biden said in a statement.
“This is not a political issue, this is a family issue,” Trump said in a statement to People magazine about the girl, named Navy Joan Roberts.
He added that “Jill and I only want the best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
The statement amounts to the Bidens’ first acknowledgment of their seventh grandchild, a matter that had become politically sensitive in recent months as their son Hunter is embroiled in a controversial tax evasion lawsuit.
Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman, gave birth to a baby girl and claimed that Hunter Biden was the father in 2019. He denied paternity, but after a proof of dna confirmed that he was the father, he finally agreed in 2020 to pay $20,000 (about 18,000 euros) a month in support.
Hunter Biden sought to reduce monthly payments and last month settled a child support case. As part of the deal, Hunter will give some of his paintings to his daughter, which he can choose whether to keep or sell.
Roberts is also abandoning his attempt to change the girl’s last name to “Biden,” according to the court filing.
In court documents from April, Roberts said Hunter Biden has “never seen or contacted” his 4-year-old daughter and that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden “remain estranged” from their granddaughter.
A source close to the situation pointed out the reasons why the Bidens are now recognizing their seventh grandchild: “You have to remember that there were some pretty contentious legal proceedings between Navy’s parents up until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens continue to Hunter’s example. They are, and have been, giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out.”
According to the source cited by People, a dispute over support between Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, settled last month, had affected the way the marriage Biden interacted with her granddaughter.
Now that much of the legal matter has been resolved, “Navy’s parents are working on a path forward that is best for her,” the source said, adding that “thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working things out. in private. In the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants the best for her, including all of her grandparents.”
The Democratic president had been criticized by Republicans, who said not recognizing Navy went against his public image as a family man.
Earlier this month, Republican lawmaker Elise Stefanik called Biden of “cold, heartless, selfish and cowardly” for not including the girl and called the situation “inexcusable shame” in statements to the British newspaper Daily Mail.
DNA tests confirmed the paternity of Hunter Biden. The girl, apparently, has not met her father or her grandparents.
Hunter Bidenwho has battled drug addiction and is currently embroiled in legal trouble over tax charges and illegal possession of a firearm, has four other children.
FOUNTAIN: With information from AFP and Europa Press
