President Biden has acknowledged his seventh grandchild on camera for the first time, and conservative commentators shredded him for waiting so long.
Up until recently, Biden refused to publicly recognize his 4-year-old granddaughter, Navy Joan Roberts, who his son Hunter Biden had with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts.
Biden finally released a statement Friday saying, "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. 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."
On Monday, the president acknowledged Navy’s existence as his seventh grandchild when he spoke on the Jay Shatty Podcast. "I have seven grandkids; five of them are old enough to talk on the phone. Every day, I either text them or call them," he said.
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"I think being there is important and makes such a difference," he later said. "I think knowing that someone is going to be there for you just to listen, just to hold you, just to hug you."
"Half of it is just showing up," he added.
Conservative commentators and outlets across social media condemned the president for being so slow to acknowledge he has seven grandchildren and now saying he texts or calls all of them each day.
"This guy is a real piece of garbage," GOP rapid response director Jake Schneider wrote in response to Biden's comments.
"Just like that huh," The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller tweeted.
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"I remember a time when this would have been fact checked into oblivion," American Crossroads senior advisor Billy McBeath wrote.
"For four years, Biden refused to recognize his own granddaughter," GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted. "Why? He now says he was ‘following Hunter’s lead’ during Hunter's child support dispute. Shameful."
Other commentators offered theories on why Biden felt compelled to acknowledge his granddaughter now.
"Imagine being the type of person who decides how they feel about their grandchildren based on polling data," PublicSq. CEO and founder Michael Seifert wrote.
Conservative communicator Steve Guest noted a July 8 opinion piece from Maureen Dowd in the New York Times that shamed Biden for not acknowledging Navy’s existence. Dowd’s piece said Biden’s "cold shoulder — and heart" toward his granddaughter is "counter to every message he has sent for decades, and it’s out of sync with the America he wants to continue to lead."
"Reminder: Joe Biden had to be shamed into acknowledging his 7th grandchild for 4 years. Earlier this month, The New York Times," Guest wrote, sharing a screenshot of the article.
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