It’s Seven Grandkids, Mr. President
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON — Even my Republican sister is not immune to Joe Biden’s gregarious Irish charm.
She met him at media holiday parties over the years and was so impressed that she got seduced to the other side for a time, voting for the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and writing in Biden’s name for president in 2012. She sent out a Christmas card one year with a picture of herself cheek to cheek with Biden — and some of her Republican friends stopped speaking to her.
So I was surprised recently when I discovered my sister writing a letter to President Biden, a plea that she had started in the middle of the night, after mulling over the matter for quite a while.
“I watched as you told the nation that you had six grandchildren and you loved each one of them,” she wrote. “I believe that. What I cannot believe and what I find unconscionable is that you refuse to admit or accept the fact that there is a beautiful little 4-year-old girl living in Arkansas by the name of Navy Joan who is your seventh grandchild.”
Peggy wrote about Hunter’s high-priced lawyers going down to Arkansas to make sure Navy could not use the Biden name and to slash child support payments.
“She has the Biden blood running through her veins, and all she is going to have as a reminder of this are some of Hunter’s original paintings; sounds like a lousy trade-off, if you ask me,” Peggy wrote, referring to the agreement that assigned some of Hunter’s artwork to the daughter he has never met, even though DNA testing in 2019 established his paternity.
In his 2021 memoir, Hunter wrote dismissively about Navy’s mother, Lunden Roberts, whom he met when he was spiraling into addiction and going to Washington strip clubs. He wrote that the women he had sexual encounters with during his drug “rampages” were “hardly the dating type.”
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he said of Roberts. Yet he put her on the payroll of his consulting firm as a personal assistant while she was pregnant. About three months after Navy was born, Hunter took away Roberts’s company health insurance.
“As she grows up, knowing that her father and paternal grandparents wanted nothing to do with her,” Peggy wrote, “she will probably be able to see a video or two showing her half sister Naomi getting married on the South Lawn and you watching the fireworks on the balcony with little Beau. And if she misses that, there will be plenty of schoolmates to remind her that she wasn’t wanted. Kids can be mean that way.”
She asked why Hunter couldn’t act like Tom Brady, who treats his son by Bridget Moynahan, the actress he was dating before he married Gisele Bündchen, the same as the two children he and Gisele had. (Not to mention Arnold Schwarzenegger, who says in a new Netflix documentary series that he has a great relationship with the son he had after a tryst with his family’s housekeeper that broke up his marriage.)
“Mr. President, many years ago, you lost your daughter in a horrendous car accident,” Peggy continued. “I know you still carry that pain with you every day because I have watched your face when you speak about her. Please do not throw away your granddaughter.”
My sister and I often disagree about politics, but this is not a political issue to us. It’s a human one. Joe Biden’s mantra has always been that “the absolute most important thing is your family.” It is the heart of his political narrative. Empathy, born of family tragedies, has been his stock in trade. Callously scarring Navy’s life, just as it gets started, undercuts that. As Katie Rogers, a Times White House correspondent,wrotein a haunting front-page piece last weekend about Hunter’s unwanted child, Biden is so sensitive “that only the president’s most senior advisers talk to him about his son.” Rogers said that “in strategy meetings in recent years, aides have been told that the Bidens have six, not seven, grandchildren.” Jill Biden dedicated her 2020 children’s book to the six grandchildren.
What the Navy story reveals is how dated and inauthentic the 80-year-old president’s view of family is.
Once you could get away with using terms like “out of wedlock” and pretend that children born outside marriage didn’t exist or were somehow shameful. But now we have become vastly more accepting of nontraditional families. We live in an Ancestry.com world, where people are searching out their birth parents and trying to find relatives they didn’t know they had.
I have sympathy for Hunter going into a “dark, bleak hole,” as he called it. I have sympathy for a father coping with a son who was out of control and who may still be fragile. With Hunter, his father can seem paralyzed about the right thing to do.
But the president can’t defend Hunter on all his other messes and draw the line at accepting one little girl. You can’t punish her for something she had no choice about. The Bidens should embrace the life Hunter brought into the world, even if he didn’t consider her mother “the dating type.”
The president’s cold shoulder — and heart — 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.
The Times is committed to publishinga diversity of lettersto the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are sometips. And here’s our email:letters@nytimes.com.
Tags
Who is online
435 visitors
Even the New York Times is willing to admit how cruel the Bidens' treatment of the little girl is.
If you built a 10’ tall snowman out of cow manure Joe Biden would still be a bigger pile of shit for how he is treating his granddaughter.
After reading about the goings on regarding the youngest grandchild, I realize more and more just how low class the Biden's really are.
Except for Navy Joan.
For what you've done to that innocent little girl, you're a disgusting, hypocritical man without a moral compass, Joe Biden. The same applies to your wife.
Don't exclude the rest of the Brandon clan. It isn't like any of them are stepping forward to recognize Navy Joan.
You would think at least one of them would have a shred of decency within them to do the right thing.
You're 120% correct. Let's not forget that they're all grifters ... even Joe's adult grandchildren.
Doubtful- remember Brandon's clan banned her from taking the Biden last name.
No Biden last name- no political kickbacks from foreign countries looking to get a leg up with (or on as in the case with China and Russia) the US.
Ha ha! No way. Hunter not only denied her the Biden name, but he also denied her health insurance and managed to lower his child support monthly payments from $20K to $5K. Teflon Hunter won again.
sounds pretty generous considering the only type of job she was previously qualified for obviously wasn't that memorable for hunter.
looks like it's back up on that brass pole to make up the difference ...
Not surprising to see you support despicable Joe and his deplorable family no matter how low they go.
[Deleted]
[Deleted]
I know it's hard for those who unquestioningly accept anything a Biden says as divine truth, but Hunter was lying.
He was in a relationship with her while dating the wife of his dead brother.
Can you imagine their outrage had this been Trump and one his kids.
You could have smelled the red ass burning up in Canada ….
What typical leftist misogynistic statements. We should expect nothing more from the group that wants to replace real women with men.
In case you missed it the kid received several pieces of Hunter's butt ugly artwork. Of course w/o the Biden in her name they won't be worth shit.
The Brandon family really are human pieces of shit- not surprising you would defend them.
meh, call me crazy, but I entertain myself here by exposing irony and hypocrisy on the right...
Okay, you're crazy. No doubt you entertain yourself here, but methinks it's with your moderation and snark....
Please learn how to properly block quote. Your first block quote cannot be attributed to me, because you will not find it in my comment 2.1.4 .
target rich environment...
Projection, deflection, denial.
[Deleted]
That is because the rest of the Biden clan are in lock step with the Big Guy and are afraid to defy him.
As Dowd references, Biden gets credit for being a "good guy." Why?
I get he's endured horrific tragedies and kept going. And he's good at projecting "Empathy" in the brief interactions that characterize retail politics. Politicians, like actors, emote and Joe can emote. But he's not above lying about those tragedies to make himself even more sympathetic to audiences.
He has no principles. He's abandons positions on a dime when required for political utility. He's an inveterate boaster. He lies about his background. He lies about his accomplishments. He's a bully who relies on intimidation and name calling when he gets called out for his lies. His behavior with females is problematic and possibly deeply disturbed/criminal. He will literally threaten to fight voters who dare question him. To put it in the best possible light, he's used his position of public trust to generation millions for his extended family, often in the most shady of circumstances.
I get he's a democrat, which means essentially a free pass from the media on character, but there's not much evidence to suggest shunning a granddaughter in out of character.
You presented a valid description of Joe Biden's history and his lack of morals. One thing you forgot is that he's also a blatant racist, and there are videos that prove it.
But yet...It's always...
But but but Truuuuuuuuuuuuump
Fuck them both.
Something I know you will NEVER say.
I can easily say fuck them both.
I didn't vote for Trump or Hillary in 2016. I campaigned for Gary Johnson- and he couldn't even garner 10% of the vote. With two of the worst possible candidates ever to run for president (until Trump/Brandon came along)- the leading third party candidate couldn't even garner 10% of the vote. Proves beyond a shadow of a doubt this country is fine with the lesser of two evils. So long as the opponent's evil doesn't win.
That is the wonderful thing about our Establishment two party system; only the candidates with an R or a D behind their name stand any chance of winning the presidency.
Unless there is a miracle within the Republican primaries; the candidates will be Trump and Brandon the Human Fuck Up Machine. Since Democrats are not even allowing debates- which is green lighting the way for Brandon.
I will still also vote for Trump over Brandon the Human Fuck Up Machine and his for shit criminal family. After the shit Democrats have put this country through for the last 7 plus years and counting- they don't deserve to be elected to any position, at any level, of government.
Hmmmmm. how about this.
Fuck em both
Proved you wrong yet again.
Fuck #45
I would never say that about Biden.
It's so ignorant and arrogant of you.
Fuck Brandon, and the horse he rode in on.
Of course not.
Expecting Brandon to adhere to any type of social norms is far too much to ask.
Completely trash family. Unfortunately Navy is a part of it even if she will never have the last name.
Democrats do love their criminals. Soon it will be Hunter's turn to run for the Oval Office.
PD&D plus Delusion.
Right back at ya!
PDD&D
Joe Biden …. Such a gentleman and a scholar ….. /S
What pieces of shit the Bidens are!
Funny that so many people that said Trump should be disqualified from running for president because he talked about grabbing pussy are quiet about Joe and his lack of honor and morals now. He should be disqualified from running for president if he is such a low life scum sucking slug that he can't acknowledge his own grandchild. Even Biden minions seem stunned because I see very few ardent Biden ass sniffing apologists even trying to justify this.
Never, ever cared about Biden. But I do love watching you all try to use Biden to justify your support of Trump. It is fucking hilarious to be honest.
The only problem with that is I don't support trump. I find the hypocrisy on both sides to be better than anything on TV
Not what he said but at least you are entertained ….
I almost believe you.
I almost care
The funny thing is that Trump is not even the subject of the article but some still insist on trying to make themselves feel relevant by throwing his name in. Laughable and pathetic at the same time!
Please! Navy doesn't even know what is going on! Why is this such a big focus for Republicans? If I remember correctly Trump excluded Tiffanny from many comments when talking about his children, and often excluded her when family got together. She was his daughter. Now that she is older he does "recognize" her, maybe that will occur when Navy is older. Just let the little girl alone.
So you are saying it's OK to publicly disown a grandchild, legally prohibit her from using her family name, and slashing her child support, simply because she is an embarrassment to a disgraced and corrupt family?
That about sums it up I think.
Really? Do you think that will last forever? Might kids at school remind her that her Grandfather, the President, refuses to acknowledge she exists?
Why is this such a big focus for Republicans
Maureen Dowd is a Republican now? Maybe she's upset because it's totally unnecessary cruelty towards a child? All Biden has to do is admit the obvious and say "I have seven grandchildren." There's no defense to his lying about this and his Fanclub doesn't even try. They just seem mad when attention is called to his cruelty.
Trump excluded Tiffanny
I don't remember trump ever denying her existence, and remember playing a role in his campaigns. But again, Trump, the supposed worst American in history , is now the bar for Democrats and Biden can't even reach that.
Trump looks at his daughter Ivanka's ass every chance he gets. It takes all kinds I guess.
Aren’t you usually complaining of whataboutism? Now you’re a practitioner?
Maybe it’s an involuntary reaction.
Blame Sparty On.
Someday you will address the topics, instead of other members, but no one is holding their breath.
1st mention of Donnie is at 2.1.10
I do both as they interest me. Maybe you only remember the one and not the other.
That was the first to jump into the pool/swamp. Do a word count on 'Trump' and you will find it was the 'right' that mentioned him more often.
You are cherry-picking.
Neither I nor you read with a disinterested eye.
Lol … Masters course in Whataboutism by Hallux ….
Really?
What about 7 & 7.1?
You need to peak up your research department a few notch’s.
I think you meant to say "You need to stop making up shit"
Yes you do bug
Says the queen of News stalkers fiction.
Like you did in 8.3?
Exactly what does that have to do with the topic?
Not in the least
You been following him around to make sure of that have you?/s
Yep, some folks just cannot help themselves.
Always has been
It’s a character issue or specifically a lack thereof with the Biden’s.
If this was Trump the left and mass media would be raising holy hell. In which case they would be correct in doing so.
But for them, Biden gets a pass. Pretty sad state of affairs to be sure.
Don't bet on it!
All they have - bunch of bullies and cowards and whiny little bitches.
I remember the hell the Democrats put Mitt Romney thru when one of his kids adopted a black baby and the Romney family accepted it while heartedly. The Biden ignore their grandchild and now the Dems are collecting with that. Despicable
I know, it’s pretty messed up to say the least.