Jon Favreau recalls first meeting Barack Obama at the 2004 DNC while working as a deputy speechwriter for John Kerry and says Obama’s speech that night was an attempt to “sort of redefine patriotism”. Favreau discusses how he became Obama’s speechwriter, and details some of his most popular speeches.

Jon Favreau is a political commentator, podcaster and the former Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama. Favreau first began writing for Obama in 2005 during his first term as a US Senator and held the role as head speechwriter throughout the 2008 campaign and presidency, until 2013. During Obama’s presidency, Favreau became the secondyoungest chief White House speechwriter on record. Over the course of eight years, Favreau had a hand in crafting nearly every major speech Obama delivered. In 2017, a few years after leaving the White House, Favreau cofounded Crooked Media, where he is a cohost of Pod Save America and the host of The Wilderness.

From the 2021 threepart HBO documentary series Obama: In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union. The personal and political journey of President Barack Obama is explored that weaves together conversations with colleagues, friends, and critics, alongside his own speeches and interviews.

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Jon Favreau, Speechwriter
Interviewed By: Peter Kunhardt
Interview Date: January 23, 2019

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