President Biden announced on Wednesday that he had become a great-grandfather after a briefing on the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
“The good news is that as of today I am a great-grandfather,” Biden said at a fire station in Santa Monica.
The president and first lady Jill Biden had already planned a trip to Los Angeles to announce the dedication of two national monuments in California and await the birth of the baby. The Bidens' granddaughter, Naomi, was scheduled for a C-section on Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Biden told the audience at the firehouse that he had been at the hospital earlier that morning and that Naomi had given birth to a 10-pound “baby” before correcting himself and saying “baby boy.” Later on Wednesday, Jill Biden posted a photo on Instagram of herself and the President with her great-grandson William Brannon Neal IV.
Naomi Biden, the daughter of Biden's son Hunter, married Peter Neal at a ceremony at the White House in November 2022.
The president's announcement seemed to land awkwardly in the room. Biden had just received status updates from the region's top public safety officials on the fires, which continue to rage and are among the most devastating blazes in L.A. in recent memory. Gov. Gavin Newsom, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and a half-dozen other state and local elected officials also attended the briefing.
Biden had just described how Hunter and his wife received notice on Tuesday that their Malibu home had likely burned to the ground, but it was still unclear whether that was the case. Then he moved on to the birth announcement. Biden received polite applause from the crowd.
“I will remember this day for many reasons,” Biden said.
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.