President Joe Biden welcomed guests to the White House for his granddaughter Naomi’s wedding on Saturday — an unprecedented ceremony that was closed to the press.
Naomi Biden, a 28-year-old Washington attorney, is marrying Peter Neal, 25, also an attorney. Biden is the daughter of the President’s son, Hunter.
It’s not uncommon for the presidential mansion, home to America’s finest address – 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – to be adorned with white flowers for a wedding.
The White House Historical Association says 18 weddings have taken place at the mansion, including that of Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia in 1971 and that of Barack Obama’s official photographer, Pete Souza, in 2013.
The association says the White House has also hosted receptions four times for weddings held elsewhere, such as that of George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna in 2008.
But this is the first time a president’s granddaughter has been stopped there.
– “pop” –
The White House has released few details about this wedding, which is classified as strictly private and closed to the press. This has raised some eyebrows.
“The White House press has historically covered weddings held there because the venue belongs to the American people and a president’s attendance is an event of national interest,” said Kelly O’Donnell, an NBC reporter who is on the The next President of the White House should be the Correspondents Association, said on Twitter on Thursday.
The New York Times reported a few tidbits about the newlyweds and what the wedding will entail: Biden and Neal are actually living in the White House for now, and they will tie the knot before lunch through a grand gala dinner in the evening.
Naomi Biden announced her wedding plans in September on her Instagram account, which includes photos of vacations, the Biden clan and their everyday lives.
Biden is very close to his grandchildren, who call him Pop and are often seen with him, even at some official events.
Naomi is named after the President’s first daughter, who died as a baby in a 1972 car accident that also killed his first wife.
According to US press reports, Naomi Biden plays an important role in the president’s inner circle, for example urging him to run for president in 2020.
