US President Joe Biden organized the wedding of his niece Naomi at the White House this Saturday, an unprecedented event from which the press was kept away.
Naomi Biden, 28, a lawyer, married Peter Neal, 25, a law graduate, in the late morning in the gardens of the famous building adorned with garlands of white flowers, and in front of a few rows of guests, according to the photos taken, remotely , by an AFP photographer.
The 19th marriage and the first
It’s not entirely unusual for the grand colonnaded building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington to host a wedding. The White House Historical Association counted that 18 weddings had already been celebrated there, after for example that of Richard Nixon’s daughter in 1971, and that of Barack Obama’s official photographer, Pete Souza, in 2013. The White House, according to the same source, it has also hosted receptions for weddings celebrated elsewhere on four occasions – such as that of George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna in 2008. But this is the first time a president has married his niece there.
The services of Joe Biden, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on Sunday, were sparing of details on the wedding, described as a private event closed to the press, which causes discussion. “The press covered the weddings celebrated at the White House because this place belongs to the American people and because the president’s participation is an event of national importance,” Kelly O’Donnell, a journalist for the NBC chain and future president of l White House Correspondents Association.
Lunch and gala evening
The New York Times, however, has revealed some details: after the exchange of promises, there will be a lunch and then a gala evening around the newly weds, who according to the newspaper currently reside in the White House.
The bride, eldest daughter of Hunter Biden, the youngest son of the Democratic president, announced the engagement last September on her Instagram account, which alternates vacation snapshots, family photos of the Biden clan and social snapshots. The President of the United States is very close to his nephews, who call him “Pop” and are often seen alongside him, even at official events.
