Biden publicly acknowledges 7th grandchild for 1st time, the daughter of Hunter
President Joe Biden acknowledged his seventh grandchild publicly for the first time on Friday, Hunter's 4-year-old daughter, Navy.
In a statement shared with ABC News, the president said, "Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden [Roberts], 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."
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"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," the statement continued.
According to the Associated Press, last month Hunter Biden settled a child support case with Roberts, the 4-year-old's mother.
Hunter Biden's paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues, according to the AP.
A source familiar with the situation tells ABC News that President Biden and the first lady have been "following Hunter's lead" on this situation, trying to give him space to figure out the situation as the legal proceedings played out.
The source maintained that the timing of this acknowledgment was related to the court dispute between Roberts and Hunter Biden and that the goal was "working it out in private, versus the spotlight."
"You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy's parents happening until just a few weeks ago," this source said.
"A lot has thankfully been sorted out and Navy's parents are working on a way forward that's best for her," the source said.
The president and first lady "are -- and have been -- giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out," according to the source.
Hunter Biden has been transparent about his struggles with substance abuse, in which he has sought treatment for more than seven times. It was a positive test for cocaine that got him discharged from the Naval Reserves in 2014.
In Hunter Biden's 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," he reflected about his time with Lunden, "I had no recollection of our encounter," he continued, "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 kids: three adult children with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and his young son, Beau Biden Jr., with current wife Melissa Cohen.
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Cohen and Hunter Biden married in May 2019 in Los Angeles, just six days after meeting. Speaking exclusively with ABC News in 2019, Hunter Biden said five months after the marriage that "I instantly fell in love with her. And then I've fallen in love with her more every day."
The couple met through a friend of hers, who wrote Cohen's phone number onto Hunter Biden's hand and insisted he call her. Hunter Biden got a "shalom" tattoo to match Cohen's within days of meeting her and they were married at her apartment less than a week later; neither had their families in attendance and the wedding photos were taken by a friend on a cellphone.
Beau Jr. is named after Hunter Biden's late brother, who died in 2015 from brain cancer at the age of 46.
There have been a series of tragedies in Hunter Biden's life, in 1972, when he was 2 years old, his mother, Neilia, and his sister, Naomi, were killed in a car crash. He and Beau were also in the vehicle and were severely injured.
The statement from President Biden was first released to People magazine on Friday.
Republicans have tried to make hay of the Biden family's recognition of Navy -- which comes after criticism from some in the GOP as well as some commentators -- though it's unclear if the attacks will have any impact on voters' opinions in the 2024 race.
Biden publicly acknowledges 7th grandchild for 1st time, the daughter of Hunter originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
