Democratic Donors Are Refusing to Fund Bidens Presidential Library

Only $4 Million Sits in the Account

Joe Biden wants a presidential library in Delaware. The money to build it is nowhere close.

As of December 2025, his library foundation has just $4 million on hand, all of it leftover from his 2021 inauguration. The foundation received zero new donations in 2024.

Major Democratic donors who once wrote big checks for Biden campaigns now say they have no interest in funding his legacy project. One longtime fundraiser said Biden would be lucky to end up with a bookmobile.

The reasons range from the Hunter pardon to fears of Trump to plain old exhaustion. And while Biden’s team scrambles, Trump’s library in Miami just secured $67 million in free land from Florida.

Longtime Bundler Wants His Money Back

John Morgan, a Florida personal injury lawyer who raised nearly $800,000 for Biden over the years, told reporters he wants a refund. The money he bundled ended up going to Kamala Harris after Biden dropped out.

Morgan said he doesn’t believe a library will ever be built “unless it’s a bookmobile from the old days. ” He’s not alone.

More than half a dozen former major Biden donors or bundlers told NBC News they either wouldn’t give to the library or would give only a token amount.

Susie Buell, another major Democratic donor, said nobody had asked her but that she is “not inclined to give to libraries.”

The Hunter Pardon Broke Trust

In December 2024, Biden pardoned his son Hunter after months of promising he wouldn’t do it. Hunter had been convicted on federal gun charges and tax evasion charges, with sentencing scheduled for mid-December.

A YouGov poll found more than half of U. S. adults disapproved of the pardon. Even prominent Democrats like California Senator Adam Schiff and Colorado Governor Jared Polis publicly condemned the decision.

According to reports, some donors threatened to withhold support for the library specifically because of the pardon. For many, it was the final straw after a year of frustrations with Biden’s judgment.

Donors Fear Becoming Trump Targets

Some donors pointed to not wanting to make themselves targets of the Trump administration as a reason for staying away. The fear is real.

Trump has made clear he intends to go after political enemies, and writing a big check to Biden’s library could put a name on a list nobody wants to be on.

Rufus Gifford, the library board chairman, acknowledged that some donors “who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues are starting to think about them.”

Others said they’d rather save their money for future Democratic campaigns and the 2026 midterms.

Democrats Still Blame Biden for 2024

The 2024 election loss left deep wounds. Many Democrats blame Biden for what they call twin sins of selfishness: running again when he shouldn’t have, then pardoning Hunter after repeatedly saying he wouldn’t.

Biden stayed in the race until July 2024, dropping out less than four months before Election Day after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

By the time he endorsed Harris, there was no time for primaries or a proper campaign launch.

Democratic strategist Philippe Reines called the pardon “a resentment delivery vehicle, like dressing on lettuce,” suggesting donor anger over the pardon is really about everything that came before it.

First Fundraiser Happened Last Week

Biden held his first major event for potential library donors on Monday, December 15, 2025, in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood. That’s nearly a year after he left office.

The foundation hired a consulting firm, CCS Fundraising, over the summer to assess financial prospects.

In September, the Bidens sent letters inviting prospective supporters to participate in 45-minute interviews to gauge donation potential. The late start stands in sharp contrast to other presidents.

Bill Clinton announced his library site weeks into his second term, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University before finishing his presidency.

IRS Filings Show Tiny Expectations

The Biden foundation told the IRS it expects to raise just $11. 3 million by the end of 2027.

That number is startling when you compare it to the costs of modern presidential libraries. George H. W. Bush’s library cost $43 million.

Bill Clinton’s cost about $165 million. George W. Bush’s team met a $500 million fundraising goal before his library was even dedicated.

Biden’s aides say they want to eventually raise between $200 million and $300 million, but nobody has explained how they’ll close the gap between $11 million and $200 million.

Trump Library Gets Prime Miami Land Free

While Biden struggles, Trump’s library project is racing ahead.

In September 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet unanimously approved giving nearly three acres of downtown Miami land to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation.

The parcel, next to the historic Freedom Tower, is valued at about $66 million.

Eric Trump said on a podcast that he would build “one of the most beautiful buildings ever built, an icon on the Miami skyline.”

The Trump foundation has also received millions from lawsuit settlements with ABC News and Paramount to help fund construction.

Obama Raised $1.5 Billion for Chicago

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago shows what’s possible with strong donor support. The Obama Foundation has raised over $1.5 billion, with $850 million committed to the center itself.

The project is scheduled to open in spring 2026 and will include a museum, forum building, Chicago Public Library branch, and athletic center. George W. Bush’s foundation hit its $500 million goal before his library was even dedicated. Biden’s team started fundraising far later than any recent president and is now paying the price.

One donor noted that Biden held a spectacular farewell dinner at the White House after the election, but by then it was too late to build goodwill.

Merger With University of Delaware Possible

Discussions are underway about merging Biden’s library with existing Biden institutions at the University of Delaware. The university is Biden’s alma mater and already the home of his Senate papers.

With help from the Delaware state government, the university has raised more than $22 million for “Biden Hall,” an extension of the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy. A merger would be far cheaper than a standalone library, though both projects officially remain separate for now.

A Biden spokesperson told reporters the team is still in an “exploratory and planning phase” and declined to comment on whether consolidation is being considered.

Biden’s Health Adds Urgency to Timeline

Biden turns 83 in November 2025 and is battling aggressive prostate cancer.

He was diagnosed in May 2025 with cancer that had already spread to his bones, with a Gleason score of 9, the most aggressive category.

He completed a round of radiation therapy in October 2025 at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. He also underwent skin cancer surgery in September 2025.

Presidential libraries often take a decade to complete. Obama’s center won’t open until 2026, nine years after he left office.

The math is not in Biden’s favor, and the lack of money only makes the timeline worse.

A Legacy in Limbo

Every president since Franklin Roosevelt has had a library.

Biden may end up with something far more modest than any of them, or nothing at all beyond a website maintained by the National Archives.

Rufus Gifford, the library board chairman, insists he’s optimistic: “Those of us who have been around for a while and love the guy want to see what we can do to protect and promote his legacy. ” But the donors have spoken with their wallets.

The man who served 36 years in the Senate, eight years as vice president, and four years as president may find that in the end, his party moved on without him.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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