Former President Joe Biden has chosen Delaware as the site for his presidential library, though project organizers may face a challenging fundraising environment—with presidential library costs having risen over recent decades and a political climate that some donors view as more fraught, as reported by The Associated Press.
Why It Matters
Presidential Libraries serve as archives and museums, preserving the documents and artifacts of a president and their administration, while making them accessible to the public for research, education, and discussion.
What To Know
The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation approved a 13-person governance board this week to steer the project; members include former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, longtime adviser Steve Ricchetti and fundraiser Rufus Gifford, who will serve as chairman of the library board, according to the AP.
The Bidens envision an “immersive museum” recounting his four years in office and a center for leadership, service and civic engagement that would include educational and event space, the outlet said.
Fundraising will be a central challenge: historical construction costs range from roughly $43 million for the George H.W. Bush library to about $165 million for the Bill Clinton library, with George W. Bush‘s team meeting a $500-million goal; the Obama Foundation has pursued a roughly $1.6-billion goal for its Chicago center, it noted.
Gifford told The Associated Press that Biden’s project will likely fall “somewhere in the middle” of those figures, though no final budget has been set.
CNN also reported that some donors previously indicated a reluctance to contribute over frustration with how the former president handled the end of his time in the White House and concerns about being targeted by President Donald Trump.
What People Are Saying
Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford told The Associated Press: “There’s certainly folks…folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them.
“That being said…we’re not going to create a budget, we’re not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don’t believe we can hit.”
Delaware Governor Matt Meyer said, according to The Associated Press: “To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son.
“The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots.”
What Happens Next
Biden’s advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries that have a bricks-and-mortar presence managed by the National Archives and Records Administration and consulted with the Obama library team; talks with Delaware leaders about local partnerships have also begun, The Associated Press reported.
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