President Joe Biden has publicly acknowledged the existence of his seventh grandchild named Navy Joan Roberts, who was fathered out-of-wedlock by his son with an Arkansas woman, for the first time.
In an interview with People Magazine on July 28, Mr. Biden made a statement for the first time about his estranged granddaughter amid criticism over his previous claims that he had only six grandchildren.
“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,” he remarked.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” Mr. Biden added. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
The president has come under fire for not acknowledging his seventh granddaughter in the past. At a White House event in April, Mr. Biden claimed to have only “six grandchildren.”
“The best part of it all [is] I have six grandchildren. And I’m crazy about them. I speak to them every single day. Not a joke,” the president said during the ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ event on April 27.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has criticized Mr. Biden for refusing to acknowledge his seventh grandchild as “cold, heartless, selfish, and cowardly.”
Mr. Biden’s acknowledgment of Navy came after his son settled a child support case on June 30. While the financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed, it was reported that the president’s son had sought to reduce his monthly child support from $20,000.
He agreed as part of the order to give an unspecified number of his paintings to the child to keep or sell. Ms. Roberts withdrew her motion for the child to have Mr. Biden’s last name.
Hunter Claims Having ‘No Recollection’ of His Encounter With Roberts
Hunter Biden had initially denied paternity, but a 2019 DNA test provided definitive evidence that he is the child’s father. He was believed to have met Ms. Roberts at a strip club in Washington in 2017.The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Ms. Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
Hunter Biden has four other children, including a son, Beau, born to his wife, Melissa Cohen, in 2020. His son was named after the president’s late son, who died of cancer in 2015, leaving behind two children.
Mr. Biden’s grandchildren have played a distinctive role in his presidency, often accompanying the president or first lady on trips and making regular visits to the White House. The president has also credited his grandchildren with persuading him to challenge then-President Donald Trump for the White House in 2020.
