President Joe Biden publicly acknowledged his 4-year-old granddaughter, Navy Joan Roberts, for the first time on Friday, saying in a statement that he and the First Lady, Jill Biden, “only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy”.

The statement came as Biden faced pressure from critics who said that failing to acknowledge Navy publicly went against the image of a loving patriarch.

“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” Biden told People magazine. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”

Hunter Biden, 53, who is recovering from crack cocaine addiction, has said that he fathered Navy at a low point in his life and that he did not have a relationship with her. Hunter Biden and the child’s mother, Lunden Roberts, recently settled a yearslong child support case.

Hunter Biden is the last surviving son of the President.