David Litt (speechwriter)


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

Biography

Born to a Jewish family 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. He first got involved in political speechwriting through an internship with West Wing Writers. 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. Litt has also written for The Onion and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

Books

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