Former President Joe Biden is struggling to raise money to build a presidential library as some past Democratic donors are refusing to dole out funds for the project, NBC News reported Friday.
Donors listed a slew of reasons they were withholding their donations such as “distasteful” personal experiences with Biden’s inner circle, and “residual anger” over him initially deciding to seek a second term despite his health issues, according to the outlet. The former president has been reportedly having trouble gathering funds since 2024 — even before President Donald Trump was reelected to succeed him.
“I don’t believe a library will ever be built unless it’s a bookmobile from the old days,” said John Morgan, a Florida-based personal injury lawyer and longtime Biden supporter, according to NBC News. “Couple [Biden’s age and medical issues] with the perception that [the party’s] woes rest with his decision to seek a second term and we have the Hindenburg heading straight towards us.”
“I want an $800,000 refund,” Morgan added, in reference to the large amount of money he gave to support Biden’s reelection bid — which was eventually channeled into failed 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris‘ campaign following Biden’s withdrawal.
One donor who requested anonymity to speak freely, told the outlet, “Me? No way.”
“I’d like him [Biden] to have some nice library,” another donor said per NBC News. “I just don’t see that’s where I’m going to spend my money.”
Susie Buell, another Democratic donor, said, “No one has asked, but I am not inclined to give to libraries,” NBC News reported.
The project is estimated to cost between $200 million and $300 million, according to the outlet, which is significantly less than former President Barack Obama’s $850 million Presidential Library slated to open in Chicago in the spring.
Chris Korge, fundraising chair for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said he pushed Biden’s team to table reelection ambitions and focus on funding a library instead, NBC News reported.
Even if Biden had begun requesting donations sooner, it’s unclear if fundraising would have been successful. Donors have complained they lacked access to him while he was in office despite being asked frequently to make donations, per the outlet. They have blamed Biden’s inner circle for isolating him to hide his mental decline, and therefore hesitating to hold any kind of fundraising events at the White House.
Another prominent donor said Biden has kept his circle of donors small, as he “was not good at making his donors feel appreciated,” according to NBC News. The donor detailed how Biden’s approach to donors, along with obstacles like his age and mental ability, would cloud the path ahead.
“I don’t think ‘hill’ is the proper term,” he said. “It’s going to be much steeper than that.”
A donor who has been involved in Biden fundraising in the past highlighted recently published works exposing Biden’s mental decline and rehashing the Democrats’ failed 2024 presidential campaigns, claiming they are dragging the party down when they need to be moving forward.
“Democrats need to pick themselves up and start doing and stop whining and complaining about what happened,” the person told the outlet. “Joe Biden has been a public servant to this country on the world stage for decades, we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
“The ending was not pretty, we all know that,” the person added. “But the country and he deserves a foundation and library museum.”
Rufus Gifford, finance director for former President Barack Obama and fundraiser for Biden’s re-election campaign, was named chairman of the library board. He believes donors will eventually chip in to push the project forward.
“Those of us who have been around for a while and love the guy but also understand the full picture want to see what we can do to protect and promote his legacy,” Gifford said. “This isn’t about the past. It’s about the future.”
The Bidens did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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