President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have welcomed their first great-grandchild in Los Angeles as wildfires rage across Southern California.
“The good news is I’m a great-grandfather today,” the president said Wednesday after a briefing on the fires. “A baby boy.”
The first couple arrived in Los Angeles on Monday ahead of a cesarean section scheduled for the first child of their eldest granddaughter, Naomi Biden, and her husband, Peter Neal. The couple were married at the White House in 2022.
“The President and First Lady are stopping by Cedars-Sinai Hospital for the birth of their great-grandchild,” the White House told reporters traveling with the president Wednesday morning local time.
Hunter Biden, Naomi’s father, was also seen entering the hospital before the birth with second wife Melissa and their son Beau, according to pool reporters.
The birth of his great-grandson, whose name has yet to be announced, joins a family of Biden’s seven grandchildren and two surviving children, Hunter and Ashley Biden. Two other Biden children died: Naomi in the 1972 car crash that killed his first wife, and Beau who died in 2015 from brain cancer.
Joe and Jill Biden were with their family for about 40 minutes, pool reporters added, before heading to the briefing with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection at Santa Monica Fire Station 5 amid four life-threatening fires burning across the region. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) attended the briefing too.
The president was originally poised to appear at an event in Box Canyon, California, on Tuesday to underscore his designation of two new national monuments before it was postponed until next week at the White House because of the fires.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Two people have died, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed, and more than 80,000 residents have been evacuated as the Palisades Fire, which started on Tuesday morning with a backyard blaze, has scorched almost 12,000 acres. The Eaton and Hurst fires have burned 11,000 acres and 500 acres, respectively, with the latter two ignited Tuesday evening. The fires are 0% contained, per officials.
A state of emergency remains in place across Los Angeles city and county as a “red flag weather event” of warm, fast winds and humidity impede firefighting efforts as traffic jams do the same for evacuation counterparts. Schools in the area are closed and thousands are without power.
