Friday marked the first time President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged his seventh granddaughter, Hunter Biden's four-year-old daughter Navy.

The president said, "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."

Joe Biden Publicly Acknowledges Seventh Grandchild

A source with knowledge of the situation tells ABC News that President Biden and the First Lady have been "following Hunter's lead" on this matter, allowing him space to assess the situation as the legal proceedings unfolded.

According to the Associated Press, Hunter Biden resolved a child support dispute with the mother of his four-year-old child, Lunden Roberts, last month. After Roberts sued for child support, DNA testing established Hunter Biden's paternity, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues.

Hunter Biden has been open about his drug addiction struggles, for which he has sought treatment more than seven times. In 2014, he was discharged from the Naval Reserves as a result of a positive cocaine test.

Hunter Biden has four other children, including three adult children with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle and his youngest child, Beau Biden Jr., who was born in 2020 with his current wife Melissa Cohen.

Cohen and Hunter Biden wed in Los Angeles, California, in May 2019, just six days after meeting. Hunter Biden told ABC News in an exclusive interview that, five months after the wedding, he and his wife had separated "I fell in love with her immediately. And since then, my affection for her has grown daily."

Melissa and Hunter met through a mutual acquaintance, who wrote Melissa's number on Hunter's hand and insisted he contact her.

Within days of meeting Melissa, Hunter received a matching "shalom" tattoo, and they were married at her apartment less than a week later; neither of their families were present, and the wedding photos were taken by an acquaintance with a cellphone.

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Joe Biden Criticized For Delay to Recognize 7th Grandchild

Per Daily Mail, Joe Biden's statement continues, "This is a family matter, not a political issue. Jill and I want only the best for our grandchildren, including Navy."

The stunning reversal, which was published late Friday afternoon while Joe Biden was out of town and preparing to leave for his beach property in Delaware, was the result of months of duress from the mother and political opponents.

Joe Biden himself drew attention to the issue with some of his pronouncements, such as when he referred to his "six grandchildren" at a White House event while stumbling over their names.

At the White House Christmas party, for which the East Wing spends months preparing, there were only six stockings on a fireplace mantle, with none for Navy.

This occurred in the midst of Hunter Biden's protracted child support dispute in an Arkansas court, where he was attempting to reduce his monthly payments to reflect his changed circumstances. The case was resolved at the end of June.

This week, it was disclosed in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, that Hunter had been amassing millions through international business transactions while admitting substance abuse and intermittently seeking treatment.

This case also placed the president's son in the spotlight of the national media at a time when President Biden is running for re-election and facing constant attacks from former President Donald Trump.

In the beginning of this month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned about the Navy in response to a New York Times report on the topic, which followed extensive coverage by other news outlets.

The New York Times published an article over the weekend about Hunter Biden's daughter in Arkansas. A correspondent inquired, "Does the president recognize this little girl as his granddaughter?"

Jean-Pierre responded, "I don't have anything to offer from here."

Two individuals familiar with the discussions told The Times that White House aides were instructed during strategy meetings to publicly state that the president and first lady have only six grandchildren.

In Maine, where he discussed manufacturing and the significance of labor, the president once again cited his father and emphasized the importance of family in his political identity.

This year, he traveled to Ireland in search of distant relatives. All of this highlighted the refusal to acknowledge his flesh and blood.

Beau Jr. is named after Hunter Biden's deceased sibling, Beau, who lost his battle with brain cancer at age 46 in 2015. When Hunter was only two years old, his mother, Neilia, and sister, Naomi, were slain in an automobile accident. He and Beau were also gravely injured because they were in the vehicle.

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