President Joe Biden has a new granddaughter! Or so it seems. Little Navy Joan Roberts wasn’t born today or yesterday, she is already four years old, but it is just now that Mr. and Mrs. Biden are announcing the happy news.
“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,” President Biden said in a statement provided to PEOPLE.
Eager to preserve the family’s privacy, the President reminded the public that “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.”
Navy has been a hot button issue lately, as her father Hunter has been involved in numerous controversies and just this Wednesday made a plea deal with the DOJ over two misdemeanor tax violations and a felony gun charge.
The child has also attracted the attention of the media because in April, President Biden referred to his “six grandchildren,” either intentionally or unintentionally, leaving out the one born out of wedlock.
A source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that the recently resolved child support dispute between Hunter and Lunden has dictated how the relationship has played out so far.
“You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy’s parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter’s lead,” the source says, adding, “They are — and have been — giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out.”
The legal dispute between Lunden and Hunter worked its way through Arkansas courts for more than four years and led to a November 2019 ruling that, despite his denials, Hunter did father the child (which was confirmed with a DNA test).
“Thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working it out in private, versus the spotlight,” a source acquainted with the family says. “At the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents.”
In January 2020, Hunter agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in child support to Lunden, including retroactive payments going back to November 2018.
In June 2023, Hunter settled the child support case in Arkansas state court, reaching an agreement with Lunden, the terms of which have been under wraps. CNN has reported that, as part of the settlement, the child will receive both monetary child support and some of Hunter’s paintings.
Lunden had also requested that the child’s surname be changed to Biden. She has now dropped this provision. “A lot has thankfully been sorted out, and Navy’s parents are working on a way forward that’s best for her,” the source tells PEOPLE.
Hunter is a father to four additional children. He shares daughters Naomi, 29, Finnegan, 22, and Maisy, 21, with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, and son Beau Jr., 3, with his current wife, Melissa Cohen.
President Biden frequently talks about his close relationship with his other grandchildren (who call him “Pop”). Last November, Naomi got married at the White House.
“They’re crazy about me and I’m crazy about them,” the president said of his grandkids on an episode of the SmartLess podcast in 2022. “Every single day, I contact every one of my grandchildren.”
Will there now be one more to call him Pop?
