Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is now officially a grandpa.
The governor's first grandchild, a boy, was born on Wednesday, Cox shared during his monthly press conference on Thursday. He said that the birth of his grandson was one of the best days of his life and that it was "very special."
"Yesterday was awesome," Cox said. "And as I've been answering these questions, it's all I can think about. So I'm probably not giving very good answers right now, but my mind is totally somewhere else with that little guy."
He also posted a picture of himself holding the baby on X late Wednesday.
"I've been told that being a grandparent is the reward for not killing your kids. And I think that that's, uh, there's definitely some truth to that," the governor said during the press conference.
He continued: "I, of course, love my kids, and those were the best days of my life when they were born. But this, this was different and hit a little different."
The governor added that his grandson had a little trouble breathing right after he was born, getting emotional as he described how it was a scary moment.
Cox added that he hopes everyone gets a chance to be a grandparent, sharing that he worries now as the demographics change in the U.S. and people tend to get married and have kids later, or not have kids at all, more often. Across the U.S., including in Utah, birthrates have fallen.
He said the longer people wait to have kids, "the less of an opportunity you have to be a grandpa."
Cox emphasized that, at 51, he still has "few good years ahead of me" and that he is already planning some future fishing trip with the grandbaby.
The governor also shared that there is nothing more important than family and that it is the most important institution.
"It's why we do what we do," he said. "It's why I ran for this job."