Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has invited major donors and former top administration officials to the first event related to his future presidential library, a “holiday reception” in Washington this month.
The Dec. 15 event is not a fund-raiser for Mr. Biden’s library foundation but rather a meet-and-greet that will include him; the former first lady, Jill Biden; and former cabinet officials and ambassadors, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by The New York Times.
The event is being hosted by Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, a longtime Democratic donor and fund-raiser who served as the ambassador to Brazil during Mr. Biden’s presidency and as the ambassador to Portugal under President Bill Clinton.
The event is free to attend but represents a new level of engagement for Mr. Biden with potential library donors. The former president, 83, has kept a low profile since leaving the White House. His office announced in May that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer and in October that he had completed a round of radiation therapy. He also had surgery to remove skin cancer lesions, his office has said.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Biden declined to comment.
The plans for Mr. Biden’s presidential library have gotten off to a slow start, and some donors have worried that he may struggle to raise enough money for a library on the same scale as those of his predecessors.
President Trump, who is still in office, has aggressively raised money for his future library through legal settlements with media and tech companies, including $15 million from ABC News, $16 million from Paramount and $25 million from Meta.
Mr. Trump’s library has said in filings with the I.R.S. that it expects to raise over $900 million more over the next two years.
Shane Goldmacher is a Times national political correspondent.
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