Biden struggles to attract Democrat donors for presidential library

Former President Joe Biden’s new effort to raise money for a presidential library is struggling to attract Democrat donors, according to a report.

More than half a dozen people who were once major Biden donors or fundraisers spoke to NBC News. Most said they have no animosity toward the former president, but they either would not give to the library or would only give a limited amount.

The donors pointed to several factors, including not wanting to make themselves a target of the Trump administration and reserving their money for the Democratic Party’s future. Some of them said they had personal interactions with Biden’s inner circle that were so unpleasant they believed it would be difficult to ever raise significant funds for the former president.

“I’d like him to have some nice library,” one donor told NBC News. “I just don’t see that’s where I’m going to spend my money.”

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Another donor said “no way” when asked by the outlet about giving to the library.

Biden also faces residual frustration from the party over his decision to initially seek re-election despite health issues that ultimately led to him dropping out of the race last summer after his highly scrutinized mental acuity was put on display during a presidential debate against Donald Trump. Former Vice President Kamala Harris then quickly secured the party’s nomination before losing to Trump in November.

“I want an $800,000 refund,” personal injury lawyer John Morgan told NBC News, referring to money he said he raised for Biden that went to Harris last year.

“I don’t believe a library will ever be built unless it’s a bookmobile from the old days,” Morgan joked.

Susie Buell, a major donor to the party, told the outlet nobody had asked for her donation but that she is “not inclined to give to libraries.”

The chairman of the library board, Rufus Gifford, who led fundraising for Biden’s re-election campaign and was finance director for former President Barack Obama, expressed optimism that donors will want to contribute.

“Those of us who have been around for a while and love the guy but also understand the full picture want to see what we can do to protect and promote his legacy,” Gifford told NBC News. “This isn’t about the past. It’s about the future.”

One person familiar with the Biden team’s plans said the project seeks between $200 million and $300 million.

By comparison, the Obama Presidential Library set to open in Chicago in the spring cost $850 million. President Donald Trump has also raised millions of dollars for a future library, and the luxury jet gifted to the U.S. government by the Qatari royal family will later be transferred to a Trump library foundation — both moves scrutinized by Democrats.

“It is my opinion no significant building will be built,” Morgan said, adding that Biden’s age and medical issues could mean the former president might not be much help in raising money for the library.

“Couple that with the perception that [the party’s] woes rest with his decision to seek a second term, and we have the Hindenburg heading straight towards us.”

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Donors often complained about a lack of access to Biden when he was in office, saying they were asked to write checks but then could not get a phone call returned.

People who frequently interact with major Democratic donors say other potential obstacles include the threat of becoming a target of Trump. 

“This is a very difficult time to raise large checks for Democrats because of how vindictive Donald Trump is,” Democratic National Committee Fundraising Chair Chris Korge told NBC News, citing conversations with donors.

Korge also said he had personally called on Biden and his team to focus on raising money for a library and to put aside plans for a second term.