Joe Biden’s finances after leaving the White House are dominated by debt tied to two Delaware homes, a modest array of loans, and a slim royalty stream from books and speaking engagements, according to public disclosures and coverage of the former president’s finances. The landscape includes a mortgage on his Wilmington, Delaware home that public records place between $250,000 and $500,000, with a 30-year loan originated in 2013 at 3.375% interest. The balance has been gradually reduced since his term ended. He also carries a $250,000 home equity loan on his Rehoboth Beach vacation home, taken in 2022 and due to be paid off when he is 90, with a variable rate.
There was also an open-ended line of credit up to $50,000 and another bank loan of up to $15,000, due by 2028. In the final year of his presidency, CelticCapri Corp., the vehicle created in 2017 to receive royalties from books and speaking engagements, was listed as dormant. The Bidens’ royalty income from their books and related deals reportedly totaled less than $3,100 in the last year they held office, and their 2023 tax returns show earnings of $619,976. They held accounts totaling between roughly $632,000 and $1.38 million, with investments in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to presidential financial disclosures.
A post-presidency strategy that once looked brighter has also become more uncertain. Biden has signed a $10 million deal with publisher Hachette for future books, a figure dwarfed by the $60 million Barack and Michelle Obama earned for theirs. He remains represented by a major Hollywood agency that does not publish his speaking fees; its public-facing material notes cost-saving options such as virtual presentations and off-peak bookings. Some Democrats say the timing of a second bid for the presidency in 2024 was a key driver of donor fatigue, and there is growing scrutiny of whether he can monetize the presidency through speeches or a library in a way that appeals to potential donors.
There is also a sense among some Democratic insiders that the political capital supporting a Biden legacy project may be thinner than in earlier administrations. A former White House official told the Daily Mail there is not a broad appetite among influential Democrats to back a presidential library or to fund pricey speaking engagements, particularly given frustrations with his 2024 reelection bid. “There isn’t a whole lot of goodwill for the former president in some key corridors of power, and that stems from the fact that he never should have tried to mount a reelection,” the person said. “Very few of us are well disposed to support a presidential library or to provide him any other kind of financial support.”
Beyond the money talks, Biden’s post-presidency life has included a lower public profile in some respects. He has given speeches at a Chicago conference in April and at the annual Society for Human Resource Management conference in San Diego in July. On the West Coast, he was photographed traveling commercially and staying with family in Malibu after a visit to Hunter Biden. A widely shared anecdote described him boarding a commercial flight, seated in an ordinary airport lounge, and navigating an A321 aisle with other travelers, a scene that underscored the shift away from the private-jet era of the presidency. His reading material during travel included How the Irish Saved Civilization, and he spent time at Paradise Cove Beach in California during a visit with relatives, a scene that contrasted with the trappings of the White House.
Hunter Biden, 55, has also faced financial headwinds. Court filings from 2023 show his ex-wife claimed he owed her $2.9 million, and a March filing indicated he had lost his permanent residence after wildfire damage to a Malibu rental home. He told the court that his income had significantly deteriorated and that he had only sold one painting since late 2023, along with about 1,100 copies of his book. He said he anticipated paid speaking engagements and appearances, but those engagements have not materialized to the extent he expected.
The broader political climate adds a layer of complexity to Biden’s post-presidency finances. As he continues to pursue a public-facing footprint—whether through writing, speaking, or other ventures—donors and fellow Democrats alike weigh the costs and benefits of backing his legacy projects. For now, the financial picture remains a mix of debt obligations, modest earnings, and ongoing efforts to translate a presidency into tangible, fundable initiatives. The story of Biden’s post-presidency finances—and what it means for potential fundraising and the status of any presidential library—will likely continue to unfold as the political calendar advances.