President Biden is reportedly struggling to raise cash for his planned presidential library as he tries to secure the $200 million to $300 million it will cost.
The Biden Presidential Library is in its nascent stages. A site hasn’t been selected, nor has Mr. Biden formed a committee to operate and build the structure. The library would house documents and other materials from his time in the White House and Senate.
One reason the library proposal hasn’t advanced is the lack of funds, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Citing anonymous sources, the newspaper said some “resistance” has come from donors and that he hasn’t been soliciting funds.
The White House and Biden aide Steve Richhetti, who is heading the library push, didn’t respond to emails from The Washington Times.
Mr. Biden has reportedly avoided some ideas other presidents have used to raise funds for their library, such as inviting megadonors to stay overnight at the White House.
It’s unclear how many donors have been approached or independently offered to help with his library.
Mr. Biden last year talked about his presidential library during his interview with special counsel Robert Hur. He said first lady Jill Biden encouraged him to think about the institution after they visited the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri.
“She said, ‘Joe, have you decided on your library?’” Mr. Biden said, according to a transcript. “I said, ‘I have no idea where I’ve got — I mean — and I don’t think I’m supposed to, while I’m president think about the library.”
During the interview, Mr. Biden acknowledged that raising funds for the library would be difficult.
“I wouldn’t know how — how you could raise money anyway while I’m a U.S. senator to do that — I mean president,” he said.
Mr. Biden said several institutions were competing to house the library, including Syracuse University, where he earned his law degree, and the University of Delaware, where he was an undergraduate.
The University of Pennsylvania is also in the running. Mr. Biden led a center on diplomacy and foreign policy there after his vice presidency. His son Beau and seven of his grandchildren have attended the Ivy League university.
Other presidents have taken their time announcing their library’s location. A museum dedicated to former President Barack Obama is scheduled to open in Chicago in 2026, a decade after his last full year in office.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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