(NewsNation) — Lunden Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden’s second youngest child, spoke out in her first TV interview following Biden’s recent conviction on federal gun charges.
Roberts told NewsNation’s “On Balance” she hopes the legal resolution will allow Hunter Biden to have a positive relationship with their 5-year-old daughter, Navy Joan. The Arkansas woman said her primary concern is her daughter’s well-being.
Hunter Biden was convicted Tuesday of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when, prosecutors argued, the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
Navy has never met her grandfather, President Joe Biden. Roberts said she’s been advised grandparents often don’t step in until the child’s parent does. She said she doesn’t “see how that’s a bad thing” if grandparents play a positive role.
Roberts said Hunter Biden always wanted to make his father proud but felt like a disappointment during his struggle with addiction when they were together. She tried to encourage him, seeing his potential.
“He hated feeling like the black sheep,” Roberts said.
The White House has acknowledged Navy but avoided discussing the matter further, which Roberts said may be better from a public relations standpoint since it’s a personal family matter.
In her memoir “Out of the Shadows,” Roberts writes about her relationship with Hunter Biden and life with him. She told NewsNation that the book shows he’s “not this villain that the media portrays him to be” and cares about doing good, despite his troubles.
Last year, Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues.
The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
Hunter Biden is a father to five children with three women: Naomi, Finnegan, Maisy, Navy and Beau Jr.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.