WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� is about to have a lot more free time. He need look no further than for ideas on what to put on his retirement to-do list.
At age 82, Biden is . In a recent interview with USA Today, he acknowledged uncertainty about his future stamina, saying, 鈥淲ho knows what I鈥檓 going to be when I鈥檓 86 years old?鈥�
But his age isn't remarkable for former presidents, nine of whom lived past 90. They include George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, John Adams, Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter, .
A look at some traditional 鈥� as well as a few decidedly less conventional 鈥� ways Biden might spend his upcoming years:
Try to bolster his place in history
Unlike his presidential predecessor-turned-successor, , Biden almost certainly won't try a political comeback.
The Democrat has said little publicly about his post-Oval Office plans. Those who have long known him say it鈥檚 not something he鈥檚 discussed much beyond a tight circle of close aides.
Some modern former presidents have collected large fees for post-White House speaking engagements. Biden, who was plagued most of his term by , could use such appearances to try to bolster and future popularity. He told USA Today that he wanted his legacy to be having worked 鈥渢o restore the economy and reestablish America鈥檚 leadership in the world.鈥�
The good news for Biden is that presidents often see their popularity improve after leaving office.
Republican George W. Bush was unpopular at the end of his term amid the Iraq War and the financial crisis. But he became more favorably viewed in subsequent years, despite keeping a low public profile while . Trump was similarly dogged by low approval ratings throughout his first term, but won back the White House in November.
Fundraise and plan for a presidential library
A priority for Biden is likely to be fundraising and beginning work on plans for his presidential library. It probably would be in Biden's home state of Delaware, where he was a senator for 36 years and spent many weekends while president.
Officials have already enlisted at least one Biden administration ambassador to help with fundraising. A model can be the Barack Obama Presidential Center, a 19.3-acre (0.08-square-kilometer) library and museum in Chicago. , with completion expected in 2026.
Sort through keepsakes 鈥� carefully
Biden can be something of a pack rat, aides say, and may want to hang on to memorabilia from his White House years. He needs to proceed with caution.
Federal elected officials are required to relinquish official documents and classified materials when they leave office. Biden's personal lawyers have been working on careful document management since even before at the in Washington and in Biden鈥檚 Delaware garage.
Those discoveries followed an in 2022 on Trump's Florida club, part of a that was scrapped after he won back the White House. In Biden's case, special counsel later released a report impugning the president's age and mental competence but didn't seek criminal charges over mishandled documents.
鈥淲e are going to do our best, certainly, to be careful to follow the rules, to do this the right way,鈥� White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about document retention on Friday.
Write another memoir 鈥� also carefully
Biden hasn't expressed much interest, those close to him say, in writing another book. He's written two memoirs, 鈥淧romises to Keep鈥� published in 2007, and 鈥淧romise Me, Dad,鈥� released in 2017.
He might eventually opt to work on a third, though, to help cement his aforementioned legacy. Again, he would need to proceed with caution.
Hur accused Biden of being sloppy about sharing classified information with , who worked on Biden's first two books. The special counsel considered charging Zwonitzer with obstruction of justice because the ghostwriter destroyed recordings of interviews he conducted with Biden while they worked on his second memoir.
Ultimately, Hur's report said Zwonitzer offered 鈥減lausible, innocent reasons鈥� for having done so and subsequently cooperated with investigators.
Revel in the ex-president's club
A longtime enthusiast of political tradition, Biden could well embrace membership in the . The former commanders in chief from time to time pose for pictures and pat one another on the back while milling around at historic events 鈥� and sit together at VIP funerals.
Former presidents also sometimes take on special projects together such as during the or raising money after natural disasters. They rarely criticize one another and tend to offer even fewer harsh words about current White House occupants.
This will be a chance for Biden to again differentiate himself from Trump, who showed little interest in spending time with former presidents after losing his 2020 reelection bid. That was similar to how he shunned typical post-presidency endeavors like working on building a presidential library, instead concentrating on his 2024 campaign.
Biden already convened his own former presidents club of sorts while still in office: He prepared for his State of the Union address last March by holding .
Morgan Freeman, Tony Goldwyn, Geena Davis and Michael Douglas offered advice and encouragement, as did Bill Pullman, who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in 鈥淚ndependence Day.鈥� Pullman seized on Biden's ever-present optimism in his public comments to predict, 鈥淧eople, when they look at all that you've managed to do, they're gonna remember. Time will remember, always, your words."
Try his hand at show business?
Speaking of celebrities, Biden has floated the idea of more glitzy post-presidential pursuits.
In August, about a month after he scrapped his reelection campaign, : 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I invited you to the White House 鈥� because I鈥檓 looking for a job.鈥�
When Jessica Alba helped celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House a few weeks later, Biden joked that he might soon need the star's business connections to help find work, saying, 鈥淛essica, if I鈥檓 really good, maybe you can get me a job?鈥�
He offered a similar joke at a December event for , telling Robert De Niro, 鈥淚f I get in trouble, I鈥檓 coming to you, pal.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 looking for work in February,鈥� Biden said to laughter. 鈥淢aybe you鈥檝e got something for me? A Biden-De Niro combination? I can鈥檛 sing, I can鈥檛 act, I can鈥檛 dance, do a damn thing 鈥� but I could help ya.鈥�
Will Weissert, The Associated Press
