David Litt

Washington, D.C.

Freelance Writer at Freelance

NYT bestselling author. Fmr @barackobama speechwriter. Democracy enthusiast. Professional novice surfer.

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Articles

Democrats Need More Hobbies

1 week ago | theatlantic.com | David Litt

For most of my adult life, I worked in and around Democratic politics, and my hobby was work. Then, in 2022, I started taking surf lessons and got hooked. In April of 2023, and again last December, I took a trip to an outdoor wave pool in Waco, Texas. If you want to meet the voters who swung toward Donald Trump and put him back in the White House, you could do worse than the hot tub at Waco Surf.
Search Results

2 weeks ago | microbiologyresearch.org | Carmen Sheppard |Sam Manna |Natalie Groves |David Litt

Introduction. In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Global Invasive Bacterial Vaccine Preventable Disease (IB-VPD) Surveillance Network (GISN) to monitor the global burden and aetiology of bacterial meningitis, pneumonia and sepsis caused by Haemophilus influenzae (Hi), Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp). Hypothesis/Gap Statement.
How Surfing Brought Me and My Joe Rogan-Loving Brother-in-Law Together

3 weeks ago | wsj.com | David Litt

David Litt, a former Obama speechwriter, finds common ground on the waves of the Jersey Shore in his new memoir, ‘It’s Only Drowning’ | Illustration by Michael Haddad for WSJ. Magazine IN PARTS OF Central Jersey, people signal their wealth with columns. Homeowners accumulate decorative pillars the way rich men in biblical times hoarded camels. Deal has more columns than all the surrounding towns put together. Some of its homes are the size of airplane hangars.
Bro, I’m Here to Tell You: Trump’s Coming for Your Toys with His Dumb** Tariffs

1 month ago | thedailybeast.com | David Litt

Earlier Monday President Trump unveiled his latest trade-war masterstroke—caving to China and pretending he hadn’t. Before that, when it came to his economic message, he was mostly playing with dolls. “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30,” Trump said last week, when asked if his tariffs might lead to a supply-chain shortage at Christmas. “A young lady, a 10-year-old girl, 9-year-old girl, 15-year-old girl, doesn’t need 37 dolls,” he said on Air Force One, gaggling with reporters.
Why the White House Correspondents' Association Got the Shriveled Party It Deserved

2 months ago | thedailybeast.com | David Litt

This year, for the first time since inviting a comedian to headline in 1983, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner promised there would be no entertainment. In that regard, it delivered. I didn’t attend Saturday night’s dinner, partly out of principle after the White House Correspondents’ Association disinvited a comedian at the Trump administration’s request, and partly because no one invited me.
How this year’s Correspondents’ Dinner became a celebration of capitulation

2 months ago | contrarian.substack.com | David Litt

Even before Donald Trump turned “cancel culture” into a verb, the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was among the more difficult D.C. institutions to defend. The president, senior administration officials, journalists, and a flotilla of Hollywood celebrities, all donning black tie to trade jokes and tell each other how important they are? Even in its heyday, the dinner seemed like the result of a brainstorming session between C-SPAN and Marie Antoinette.
The rhetorical genius of “Elon Schimel”

2 months ago | contrarian.substack.com | David Litt

A few weeks ago, I cross-posted a piece with The Contrarian, asking readers to donate to the Wisconsin Democratic Party ahead the upcoming state Supreme Court race, and promising to match contributions up to $1,250. To say you came through is a massive understatement: Together, we raised over $33,000!That’s a drop in the bucket, especially when the other side is funded by the richest man in human history. But we weren’t alone.
In Three Weeks, Elon's On the Ballot

Mar 12, 2025 | dlitt.substack.com | David Litt

While I hope you enjoy this entire post, here’s the short version: On April 1st, there’s an election for a state Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin. That election will matter for people who live in Wisconsin. But more than that, it will be seen as the first referendum on Elon Musk, and the last one until November of this year. The ripple effects are going to be enormous - and they’re going to change the trajectory of the country and even the world.
The State of the Union Is Less Than Ideal

Mar 5, 2025 | contrarian.substack.com | David Litt

During the first Trump term, I was regularly asked the following two questions. First, as a junior speechwriter for President Obama, did I ever write a State of the Union Address. Second, would I ever consider writing speeches for Donald Trump. Until now, the answer to both these questions was “No,” but since bending the knee seems to be all the rage these days, I took a crack at writing a draft of last night’s big speech. Unfortunately, the Trump team went in a different direction.
How To Persuade the Undecided in an Era of Disinformation

Jan 24, 2025 | portside.org | David Litt

How To Persuade the Undecided in an Era of Disinformation Published January 24, 2025 Among presidential speechwriters, “laundry list” is a devastating insult. It refers to a bland recitation of policy proposals with no coherent theme or inspiring message to bind them. (Another devastating speechwriter insult is “Christmas tree,” which means a speech that has something for everybody but no central focus.)Trump’s second Inauguration Day was a laundry list of Christmas Trees.