Kudos to Maureen Dowd. The New York Times columnist is no conservative warrior, but she is one of the first prominent mainstream liberals to come out in defense of President Joe Biden’s seventh grandchild, Navy Joan Roberts.
Dowd called on the president to acknowledge his granddaughter. Why? Because it’s the decent thing to do.
The little girl, 4, is the daughter of Hunter Biden, who has said he was on drug “rampages” when he had a fling with the girl’s mother, Lunden Roberts.
Hunter Biden tried denying paternity, but a DNA test in 2019 proved he was in fact the father. Since then, he has distanced himself from his daughter, including refusing to let her use the Biden name.
Instead, in a recent child support settlement with the girl’s mother, Hunter Biden opted to give Navy some of his abstract paintings.
There’s much to be said about Hunter Biden’s slew of legal and personal troubles. But what’s most troubling here is how the president of the United States is handling the situation.
Where’s the decency, Mr. President?
The elder Biden has made a big deal about how his presidency and his decision to run for a second term are about “decency” and battling for the “soul of America.”
Who wins with Trump indictment?The former president and Joe Biden. DeSantis? Not so much.
Much of Biden’s brand is wrapped up in the image of him as a nice guy who understands loss and tragedy and who is tremendously loyal to his family, even when they have significant problems.
In his reelection launch video, Biden talks about how everyone deserves to be treated “with dignity.”
The president should listen to his own words, and at least acknowledge the existence of his granddaughter – his own flesh and blood.
Biden refuses to do so, however. At Christmas, the Bidens hang stockings for six of their grandchildren – and even include ones for their dog and cat – yet ignore Navy altogether.
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Now that Dowd had the courage to write about the outcast granddaughter, other members of the mainstream news media are being forced to talk about it.
Don’t get me wrong: This is not a new story – conservative media outlets have covered it for years, much like what happened with the Hunter Biden laptop revelations.
Trump was right:‘Russian collusion’ was a hoax. Good luck regaining public’s trust.
Since many in the mainstream media don’t want to get their hands dirty (or Biden’s), they’ve largely stayed away from it and have refrained from direct calls for the president to do the right thing.
The immediate reaction of some journalists to Dowd’s column was to come to Biden’s defense. For example, Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic, tweeted: “When you’re a good family man, the press will accuse you of ‘hypocrisy’ about a thing like this new grandchild.”
Hearing an innocent child referred to as a “thing” is troubling, and she’s far from “new” at 4 years old.
Other commentators have blamed Republicans for Biden’s reluctance to recognize his granddaughter because they’ve made the situation a political issue – and tried to get him to talk about it.
Yet Dowd’s piece, along with one from Axios about Biden’s expletive-laden private meetings, make me wonder if the media isn’t souring on Biden and his low approval ratings. Perhaps we’ll start to get more balanced coverage of our current president.
In the meantime, we can see for ourselves whether Biden lives up to his own hype.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
