Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, has confirmed that he will build his presidential library in Delaware, the hometown of his long political career. This decision marks an important step for Biden in the construction of his post-office legacy. According to the latest official announcement, the Joe and Jill Biden Foundation, co-founded by Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, has recently approved the establishment of a 13-member management committee dedicated to promoting the establishment and fundraising of the library.
Rufus Gifford, the fundraising director of the preparatory team and a veteran Democratic fundraiser, serves as the chairperson of the committee. Members of the committee include former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, long-time policy advisor Steve Ricchetti, former White House Budget Director Shalanda Young, and former House leader Cedric Richmond, Political Allies, and local representatives such as Richmond and Delaware philanthropist Tatiana Brandt Copeland. The team expects to face a tough fundraising situation in the future: on the one hand, there are fewer big-name donors from the Democratic Party; on the other hand, some potential donors are cautious due to the campaign setbacks and health problems of Biden’s predecessors.
Biden served as a senator from Delaware for a long time, totaling 36 years, and held the position of vice president in the Obama administration. He was elected president in 2020. Therefore, his choice to locate the library in Delaware was regarded as a move to return to its political roots. The team has not yet determined the specific address, but considered locations include Wilmington, the University of Delaware campus, and the coastal city of Lihobos, Biden’s hometown.
The proposed library is planned to be developed into a museum, an educational center, and a gathering place for policy research, aiming to tell the political journey of President Biden’s tenure in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, revitalizing infrastructure, and strengthening international cooperation. At the same time, interactive exhibitions are introduced to become an educational platform and public gathering place for leadership, service spirit, and civic engagement.
Historical records show that the Presidential Library of the United States is managed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and its construction costs are usually covered by private fundraising. The Biden Library is still in its infancy and is expected to cost between the $43 million target of the George H.W. Bush era and the $160 million target of the Obama Center. But because the Obama Center is costly and controversial, the team said they would not set an unattainable fundraising target to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Delaware officials expressed their strong support for this. “Biden will always be our most beloved son,” Governor Matt Meyer stated. “The Presidential Library will showcase his story of perseverance, family importance, and unwavering commitment to future generations.” The education sector has also held cooperation talks with local politicians.
The cost of presidential libraries in the United States has been on the rise year by year, from the $43 million cost of the George H. W. Bush Library to the $500 million fundraising target of George W. Bush, and then to the $1.6 billion target of the Obama Center in recent years. If the Biden Library can manage to control costs, it will demonstrate a balanced attitude of practical fundraising and emphasis on the inheritance of political values. Meanwhile, the team has communicated with the existing library operators and representatives of the Obama Library on planning and management matters to learn from experience and avoid mismanagement and positioning.
At the starting point of the “former President Club” after stepping down, the Biden Library has become the most iconic continuation project of his political journey. On the one hand, it responds to the public’s doubts about his leadership and health issues. On the other hand, it also highlights his hope to build a path of continuing influence through the platforms of education and public policy.
In the future, libraries will still face multiple variables in terms of location, architectural design, opening time, and fundraising goals. The Biden team emphasized that they will ensure the smooth progress of the project through various means, such as scholarships, government cooperation, and private donations, rather than pursuing extremely luxurious grand projects.
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