LOS ANGELES (Realist English). Joe Biden spent his first Independence Day out of the White House at a luxury trailer park in California, staying at a property owned by musician Moby, a longtime friend of Hunter Biden. The former president, 82, and his wife Jill Biden were seen dining at the beachside Paradise Cove Café — a sharp contrast with the summer routines of Barack and Michelle Obama on Martha’s Vineyard or Bill and Hillary Clinton’s appearances at high-profile Hamptons weddings.
Biden’s post-presidential life has proved far less lucrative than expected. Paid speaking engagements, priced between $300,000 and $500,000, have been scarce, with at least one organization attempting to negotiate below that range. Unlike his peers, Biden lacks the cushion of multi-million-dollar foundations or extensive corporate speaking tours, in part due to his age, waning popularity among Democrats, and corporate concerns about possible retribution from Donald Trump’s administration.
According to people close to the family, Biden is working to settle nearly $800,000 in debt, much of it tied to his $2.7 million Rehoboth Beach house, where property taxes rose 20% this year. Added pressures include Hunter Biden’s mounting legal costs and his daughter Ashley’s divorce. Friends say he is also battling prostate cancer, though he has told confidants he is responding well to treatment.
A $10 million book deal with Hachette provides Biden with his biggest financial boost, though it falls short of the $60 million contract the Obamas secured. He also receives up to $416,000 annually in federal pensions. Jill Biden, who retired from her teaching job at Northern Virginia Community College, has taken an unpaid leadership role at the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network.
The former president is dedicating much of his time to writing his memoir, described by insiders as a sweeping “life and times” rather than a political tell-all. Jill Biden is also reportedly working on a book project.
Biden’s team is raising funds for a presidential center, with current plans pointing toward the University of Delaware. The project is expected to be less elaborate than Barack Obama’s Chicago-based center. The University of Pennsylvania, once floated as a possible host, distanced itself after classified documents were discovered at the Penn Biden Center.
Biden’s chapter after the White House, shaped by modest resources, family struggles and health concerns, stands in marked contrast to the lucrative paths taken by other modern presidents.