David Litt (speechwriter)

David Litt is an American political speechwriter and author of the comedic memoir Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years.[1] He is currently the head writer/producer for Funny or Die’s office in Washington, D.C.[2]

Litt (center) with President Obama, November 2014

Biography

Born to a Jewish family[3] in New York City where he attended the Dalton School, Litt attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Ex!t Players and editor-in-chief of the Yale Record.[4] He first got involved in political speechwriting through an internship with West Wing Writers.[5] He entered the White House in 2011, at the age of 24, and for four years served as a senior presidential speechwriter first to Presidential Advisor Valerie Jarrett, White House Chief of Staff William M. Daley, and ultimately to President Barack Obama, including as the lead writer on four White House Correspondents' Association dinner presentations.[6] Litt has also written for The Onion and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.[7]

Books

His first book, Thanks, Obama, was an instant New York Times Bestseller[8] and was named by Esquire Magazine one of the Best Books of 2017.[9] His second, Democracy in One Book or Less, is slated for release in June 2020.[10]

Bibliography
  • Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years (Ecco Press) ISBN 978-0-0625684-5-8[1][11]
  • Democracy in One Book or Less (Ecco Press) ISBN 978-0-0628793-6-3[10]

References
  1. Litt, David. "Thanks, Obama - David Litt - Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  2. Johnson, Ted (24 February 2016). "Funny or Die Hires President Obama's Former Speechwriter David Litt". Variety.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  3. David Litt tells true story as part of My So Called Jewish Life, Vimeo.com, December 20, 2010
  4. Clifford, Catherine (26 June 2017). "Former Obama speechwriter: This is the one question you have to ask to be an effective communicator". Cnbc.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  5. "West Wing Writers: Speechwriting to Strategy". www.westwingwriters.com. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  6. Deb, Sopan (1 September 2017). "David Litt, an Obama Speechwriter Who Wants No Credit". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  7. Moraes, Lisa de (24 February 2016). "Obama Speechwriter David Litt Joins Funny Or Die Washington Office". Deadline.com. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  8. "New York Times: Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers". newyorktimes.com. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  9. "Esquire Magazine: 50 Best Books of 2017". esquire.com. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  10. Litt, David. "Democracy in One Book or Less - David Litt - Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  11. Waldman, Katy (September 2017). "Thanks, Obama". Slate. Retrieved September 30, 2017.


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