Biden, A New Great-grandfather, Visits Baby And Firefighters In California Detours

SANTA MONICA, California — President Joe Biden on Wednesday met his first great-grandchild — and then pledged full aid to California firefighters battling a series of disastrous wildfires just miles to the west.

The back-to-back trips to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a Santa Monica fire hall were unscheduled detours on one of final trips of Biden’s presidency. He traveled to California to name two new national monuments, but the event was canceled because of the surging Santa Ana winds.

Instead, Biden met with police and fire officials here leading efforts to contain a life-threatening trio of wildfires that broke out overnight spurred by winds that at times reached more than 100 miles per hour, saying he planned to issue a major disaster declaration aimed at freeing up more resources.

“It’s astounding what’s happening,” Biden said at an appearance at the fire hall, flanked by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

“We’re doing anything and everything,” he added, lamenting that the eventual recovery is “going to take time.”

Biden said that the homes under threat included his son Hunter’s, though he believed it had not been burned. Despite the fires threatening his son’s home, Biden had good personal news to mark the day.

“The good news is, I’m a great-grandfather as of today,” he said, remarking on how his granddaughter Naomi gave birth at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Biden, accompanied by first lady Jill Biden and other family members including Hunter, spent roughly 40 minutes with her.

The pair of stops Wednesday closed out the two-day trip initially aimed at creating two new national monuments originally scheduled for Tuesday as part of a final sprint to round out his record on climate.

Biden will instead give his speech on the monuments from the White House at a later date.

Less of a surprise was the arrival of Biden’s great-grandchild, whose imminent arrival was disclosed in a USA Today interview published Wednesday morning.

The White House had initially built an additional half-day into the president’s schedule after his planned Tuesday dedication of the monuments, raising questions about whether Biden planned to use the trip as a well-timed opportunity to also welcome his newest family member in person.

A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the schedule, and whether Biden had purposely built in extra time so he could be at the hospital for the baby’s birth.