David Litt

5 days 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.

3 weeks 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.

1 month 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.

1 month 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.

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.