For the past four years, President and first lady Joe and Jill Biden have steadfastly refused to even acknowledge the existence of their seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl named Navy Joan Roberts fathered by their son Hunter Biden with an Arkansas woman named Lunden Roberts.

That all changed suddenly and inexplicably on Friday with a statement from the Bidens that finally acknowledged the little girl and expressed how they only ever wanted "what is best" for the little girl they previously ignored, according to the New York Post.

It is unclear why the Bidens decided now to make their first-ever mention of the child, but it is worth noting that even the mainstream media recently joined Republicans, who have raised the issue for years, in critically questioning and reporting on the president and first lady's cold-hearted obliviousness to their scandal-plagued son's own daughter following a child support dispute settlement in June.

Biden finally acknowledges granddaughter

In a joint statement shared exclusively with People magazine, the Bidens 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."

"This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter," the president's statement added. "Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy."

An unnamed source described as being "familiar with the situation" told People that the recently settled child support dispute played a big role in how the matter has been handled thus far.

"You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy’s parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter’s lead," the anonymous source said. "They are -- and have been -- giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out."

"Thousands of families have faced similar circumstances, working it out in private, versus the spotlight. At the center is a 4-year-old girl and everyone wants what is best for her, including all of her grandparents," the source added. "A lot has thankfully been sorted out, and Navy’s parents are working on a way forward that’s best for her."

Democrats and media now calling out Biden for ignoring granddaughter

According to a USA Today article from earlier this week -- which may indicate a reason why the Biden acknowledgment of the granddaughter was finally issued -- it was reported that many Democrats who otherwise generally support the president had major qualms about the cold and indecent manner in which the Bidens ignored the little girl who had no say in the circumstances of her conception and birth.

Hunter Biden met and impregnated Lunden Roberts in 2018 when she worked briefly as a dancer in Washington D.C. and he was battling addiction to drugs and alcohol. She sued him for child support in 2019, a court-ordered DNA test proved that he was a father, and he was compelled to make monthly payments to support the child -- payments he challenged to have reduced earlier this year.

Some Democrats told USA Today that it was "hypocritical" for the president and first lady to so often proclaim their deep love for six of their grandchildren while excluding and ignoring the seventh, and it is not a stretch to suggest that the manner in which the Bidens handled the situation over the past four years substantially undermined the purported perception of the president as a decent and caring family man full of love for all of his relations -- except the innocent little four-year-old girl in Arkansas.

Not buying the statement or excuses

As for the president's statement and accompanying excuses from the unnamed source, law professor Jonathan Turley wasn't buying any of it, as he noted in a Fox News op-ed that there was never any legal reason to not acknowledge the child, as the court determined Hunter's fatherhood in 2019.

Moreover, the claim that Hunter and Lunden were "working together" on behalf of the child is both laughable and insulting, given that Hunter fought tooth and nail against the paternity and child support claims, refusing to cooperate with court-ordered discovery and opposing every motion and only reaching a settlement on the virtual eve of a public trial that could have exposed his true financial situation to the world.

In the end, Turley surmised that despite the president's assertion that this is "not a political issue," this entire matter is wholly driven by political considerations and the fact that even some Democrats and media figures are now criticizing the president over his blatant ignoring of the child as he gears up for a re-election campaign.