バイデン氏孫娘、ホワイトハウスで挙式

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ジョー・バイデン米大統領の孫のナオミさん（２８）が１９日、ホワイトハウスで結婚式を挙げた。ホワイトハウスでの挙式は過去に例があるが、大統領の孫の結婚式は初めて。メディア非公開と、異例の挙式となった。（写真は米首都ワシントンのホワイトハウス南庭で行われたジョー・バイデン大統領の孫娘ナオミさんとピーター・ニールさんの結婚式）
　ナオミさんはバイデン氏の次男ハンター氏の娘で、首都ワシントン在住の弁護士。新郎のピーター・ニールさん（２５）も法学部出身だ。ホワイトハウスによると、南庭で行われた式には約２５０人が参列した。
　バイデン氏と妻のジル氏は声明で、「ナオミが成長し、自分らしさを見いだし、素晴らしい人生を切り開いていくのを見るのは喜ばしい」「２人が笑いに満ちた日々を送り、年を重ねるごとに愛を深めていくことを願う」と述べた。
　ホワイトハウス・ヒストリカル協会によれば、これまで、リチャード・ニクソン大統領（当時）の娘トリシアさん（１９７１年）や、バラク・オバマ政権の専属カメラマン、ピート・ソウザ氏（２０１３年）など、１８件の結婚式がホワイトハウスで執り行われている。
　また、ジョージ・Ｗ・ブッシュ大統領（当時）の娘ジェナさんをはじめ、４件の披露宴の会場になっている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/21-10:52）

President Joe Biden welcomed guests to the White House Saturday for the wedding of his granddaughter Naomi -- an unprecedented ceremony that was closed to the press.
The 28-year-old Washington-based lawyer married Peter Neal, 25, a law graduate, on the mansion's South Lawn in an 11:00 am ceremony witnessed by about 250 guests, according to the White House.
The grounds were suitingly decorated with white flowers, as invitees in rows looked on, according to photos taken from far away by AFP.
Naomi Biden is the daughter of the president's son Hunter.
It has been a joy to watch Naomi grow, discover who she is, and carve out such an incredible life for herself, the president and First Lady Jill Biden said in statement.
Now, we are filled with pride to see her choose Peter as her husband and we're honored to welcome him to our family, they added. We wish them days full of laughter and a love that grows deeper with every passing year.
It is not unheard of for the presidential mansion with America's most stately address -- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- to be decked out for nuptials.
The White House Historical Association says 18 weddings have been performed at the mansion, including those of Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia in 1971 and Barack Obama's official photographer, Pete Souza, in 2013.
The association says four times the White House has also hosted receptions for weddings held elsewhere, for instance that of George W. Bush's daughter Jenna in 2008.
But this is the first time a president's granddaughter is getting hitched there.
- 'Pop' -
The White House in its brief statement said the Bidens hosted a wedding luncheon for family and the wedding party in the State Dining Room, and a reception with dancing was planned for later Saturday.
But otherwise the president's office has given few details on this wedding, which is classified as strictly private and is closed to the press.
This has raised some eyebrows.
The White House press has covered weddings held there through history because the space belongs to the American people and a president's participation is an event of national interest, Kelly O'Donnell, an NBC reporter slated to become the next president of the White House Correspondents Association, said Thursday on Twitter.
Naomi Biden announced her wedding plans in September on her Instagram account, which features photos of vacations, the Biden clan and her day-to-day life.
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 car crash in 1972 that also claimed the life of his first wife.
US press reports have said Naomi Biden plays an important role in the president's inner circle and pressed him, for instance, to run for president in 2020.