He's gone. After fifty years of being "Joe from Delaware," the motorcades have stopped. The 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, officially handed over the keys to the White House on January 20, 2025.
It’s weird, right? One day you’re the leader of the free world, and the next, you’re just a guy in Rehoboth Beach wondering if the local coffee shop still has those blueberry muffins you like.
If you’re looking for what is joe biden doing now, the answer is a mix of quiet recovery, family time, and a very deliberate attempt to stay out of the daily "outrage cycle" that defines modern Washington. He isn't exactly hiding, but he isn't seeking the spotlight either.
The Quiet Life in Delaware and California
Right after the inauguration of Donald Trump, Biden didn't hang around D.C. to watch the dust settle. He hopped on a plane and headed west. Specifically, he spent his first few weeks of "civilian" life at a private estate in the Santa Ynez Valley, California.
It was a total reset. No briefings. No nuclear football. Just the First Lady, Jill Biden, and a whole lot of silence.
Eventually, the Bidens moved back to their home base in Delaware. They split time between their longtime residence in Wilmington and the beach house in Rehoboth. If you live in that area, you might actually see him. He's been spotted at church services and the occasional low-key dinner.
People close to him say he’s enjoying the "small things." He’s a guy who loves his family. He’s spending a ton of time with his grandkids, probably making up for the four years where he was basically tethered to the Situation Room.
What Joe Biden Doing Now Means for the Democratic Party
Even though he's retired, you can't just "turn off" being a former president. He’s still a massive figure in the background. But here's the thing: he’s being very careful.
Biden knows that if he speaks up too much, he sucks the air out of the room for the next generation of leaders. He wants the Democratic party to find its new voice without him hovering like a protective grandparent.
- The Biden Institute: He’s re-engaging with the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.
- The Biden Cancer Initiative: This is his heart and soul. He's still pushing for the "Cancer Moonshot," which aims to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years.
- Writing: Rumors are swirling about a second memoir. This one would likely cover the chaotic years of his presidency, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the internal decision to step aside in 2024.
Honestly, he seems content. He did the job. He left on his own terms (mostly). Now, he’s watching from the sidelines as the country enters a very different era under the second Trump administration.
Managing a Massive Legacy
There is a lot of cleanup work that happens after a presidency. Biden is currently working with historians and the National Archives to organize his papers. This is the boring, technical side of being a former president that nobody talks about.
He’s also dealing with the legal fallout that seems to follow every modern politician. Before leaving office, he issued several preemptive pardons, including for his son Hunter Biden and several key aides like Dr. Anthony Fauci and General Mark Milley. He did this to protect them from what he called "politically motivated prosecutions."
Whether you agree with those pardons or not, they were a final, definitive act to shield his inner circle. Now, he’s mostly letting his lawyers handle the chatter while he focuses on his health.
Speaking of health, there were reports in late 2025 about a cancer diagnosis. While the White House was tight-lipped at the time, his post-presidency schedule has been noticeably lighter, suggesting he’s prioritizing his well-being above all else.
Navigating the "Shadow" Presidency
Every former president faces a choice: do you become a Jimmy Carter (humanitarian work) or a Bill Clinton (global statesman/speaker)?
Biden seems to be leaning toward the Carter model. He isn't interested in the $250,000-per-speech circuit. He’s more interested in the "fight," as he put it during his farewell address.
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But that "fight" is different now. It's about protecting democracy through the Biden Foundation. It's about ensuring that the bipartisan infrastructure projects he started actually get finished in local communities.
Why He Stays Quiet
You might wonder why he isn't on TV every night criticizing the current administration. It's a tradition, mostly.
Former presidents usually try to give their successor some space. Plus, Biden is old-school. He believes in the "one president at a time" rule.
He’s also likely exhausted. Running a country at 80+ is a Herculean task. He’s earned the right to sit on a porch in Delaware and read the news instead of making it.
Actionable Insights for Following His Journey
If you want to keep tabs on what the former president is up to without falling for clickbait, here is what you should do:
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- Monitor the Biden Institute: Most of his formal policy statements and academic contributions will come through the University of Delaware or the Penn Biden Center.
- Watch the Cancer Moonshot: If he makes a public appearance, it will almost certainly be related to cancer research or veteran support.
- Check Local Delaware News: The Wilmington News Journal often gets the first scoop on his "man of the people" sightings.
- Ignore the Social Media Noise: There are a lot of fake accounts and "leaks" about his health or political plans. Stick to verified statements from his personal office.
He isn't going away, but he's changed his frequency. He's moved from the roar of the crowd to the quiet of the library. It’s a transition every leader eventually makes, but for Joe Biden, it feels like a homecoming.