David Litt

David Litt is a New York Times bestselling author and a semi-finalist for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor. A former senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, David was described as "the comic muse for the president" for his work on the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Since leaving the White House, he's written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, TIME, and The Guardian, among others, and served as a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.

David appears frequently on CNN and MSNBC, and has appeared exactly once on Newsmax. (The interview, in which he pressed the host on the network's bogus claims of election fraud, was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and viewed online more than 2.5 million times.) He continues to write speeches and jokes for major political figures, Fortune 500 CEOs, leading philanthropists, and NFL quarterbacks.

In addition to his prose writing, speechwriting, and political commentary, David was the head writer/producer for Funny Or Die D.C. from 2016 to 2018 and has toured dozens of cities as a live storyteller with The Moth. He's written and sold comedy pilots (including one based on his first book) for Comedy Central, ABC, and NBC, and is currently working on a Christmas movie about two New York City cops who go undercover as elves when Santa is framed for murder.

David’s first book, Thanks, Obama, My Hopey Changey White House Years, was released in September 2017, and his second, Democracy in One Book or Less, was released in June 2020. His third book, It’s Only Drowning, will be published in 2025.

From former Obama speechwriter and the New York Times bestselling author of Thanks Obama, the deeply insightful, unexpectedly hilarious true story of how politicians hijacked our democracy (and how we can fix it before it’s too late).

Praise

General

“Litt is a skilled storyteller with a keen sense of humor and unique experiences and insight to draw upon.”
— Bustle

“David Litt is a natural storyteller and an absolute joy.”
— Tig Notaro

“Funny and warm, David Litt knows how to make people laugh regardless of their political affiliation.”
— Mike Birbiglia

“David Litt is brilliant. I’ve gotten to witness firsthand some of the work he did for President Obama at past White House Correspondents Dinners and it’s always intelligent, razor sharp and hilarious.”
— Billy Eichner

“He’s funny, clearly much smarter than all of us, and bears a striking resemblance to ‘Tommy Boy’-era David Spade, which means a lot.”
— Mike Farah, Funny Or Die

Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years

“Litt is a funny and skillful storyteller… While the first half of the book is enjoyable, the second half is masterly, rising to a crescendo that is as rousing as, well, a particularly inspiring campaign speech.”
— New York Times Book Review

“Irresistibly charming . . . Litt minted his star converting world affairs into jokes. The translation of satire back to sincerity is trickier to pull off, and lands with its own undeniable grace.”
— Slate

“An outstanding, hilarious, and precise memoir by an outstanding, hilarious, and precise man. Reading David Litt's book, I experienced the hallways and bathrooms of the White House, I heard the air go out of the room when David had to correct the most powerful people in Washington, and I laughed again and again. This is an excellent account of what it felt like to work for the Second to Last President of The United States.”
— John Mulaney

“David Litt has done the impossible: written a smart, insightful, and funny White House memoir you don't have to be a political junkie to love. Even better, he takes us back to a saner more compassionate time when our president liked to read.s.”
— Judd Apatow

“ Thanks, Obama is a wonderful book for the same reasons David Litt’s speeches for the White House were wonderful: it’s well-written, it’s funny, it tells us exactly what we’re curious about, and (because there’s true devotion amidst the humor) it reminds us that a great president galvanizes not only his staff but his country.”
— Anne Fadiman, author of Ex Libris

Democracy in One Book or Less

“Democracy In One Book Or Less is a no-nonsense guide for how we, the people, can fix ourselves.”
— NPR

“David Litt, a former Obama speechwriter, brings Dave Barry-style humor to an illuminating book on what is wrong with American democracy — and how to put it right.”
— The Washington Post

“If you want to understand how our government really works without having a panic attack or a migraine, read this book. The way David tells stories about politics is funny, informative, and, most important, hopeful. David Litt dares to remain inspired, and that is what the conversation around politics needs most.”
— Ilana Glazer, co-creator and co-star of Broad City

“I’m so relieved to have this book at this moment in our political climate, a guide to our democracy when we so desperately need one.”
— Abbi Jacobson, co-creator and co-star of Broad City and author of I Might Regret This

“David Litt’s book is equal parts how-to, historical, and hilarious as he takes us through the trials and travails of how the electorate and democracy in general works—and sometimes doesn’t—yet still lovingly shows us that it’s worth it all the same. A warm, pithy, and inspiring read.”
— Keegan-Michael Key

Praise

“Litt’s book laces his signature humor into his exploration of American democracy and how it has transformed over the years.”
— Time

“Though Litt's fun and funny treatise on what makes this nation, what's wrong with it, and how we can fix it,was written before we became a country of people ordering curbside pickup from murder hornets, it's remarkably prescient and applicable. It's rare to feel good about the way things are going, but Litt's book will get you there.”
— Elle Magazine

“Casts a welcome, cleansing beam of light on a subject that has become increasingly murky and frustratingly confusing . . . Litt has a breezy, often conversational tone, but that in no way diminishes the force of his argument. Politics has changed, and not in a good way. But there are ways American democracy can be fixed, and it is to Litt’s credit that he offers practical albeit challenging solutions to the problems confronting our system of governance.”
— Booklist (starred review)

“[A] snappy and well-informed dissection of the current state of American democracy. . . Both optimistic and clear-eyed, this quip-filled call to action will resonate strongly with young progressives.”
— Publishers Weekly

“A pleasure to read, even in its darkest moments, and refreshingly optimistic about the future of the republic.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“Hilarious and incisive. If you want to understand what happened to America and how to change it, Democracy in One Book or Less will make you laugh and think, all at the same time.”
— David Axelrod, former senior advisor to Barack Obama and author of Believer: My Forty Years in Politics

“You think you know about politics and the motivations and machinations of Washington—and then you read this book. A wildly entertaining and informative journey that peels back the curtain on how the Beltway functions, David Litt’s latest is a must-read for anyone who can’t look away from the ‘what’ of the news and wants to understand the ‘why.’”
— Amie Parnes, co-author of Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign

“If you want to understand how our government really works without having a panic attack or a migraine, read this book. The way David tells stories about politics is funny, informative, and, most important, hopeful. David Litt dares to remain inspired, and that is what the conversation around politics needs most.”
— Ilana Glazer, co-creator and co-star of Broad City

“I’m so relieved to have this book at this moment in our political climate, a guide to our democracy when we so desperately need one.”
— Abbi Jacobson, co-creator and co-star of Broad City and author of I Might Regret This

“David Litt’s book is equal parts how-to, historical, and hilarious as he takes us through the trials and travails of how the electorate and democracy in general works—and sometimes doesn’t—yet still lovingly shows us that it’s worth it all the same. A warm, pithy, and inspiring read.”
— Keegan-Michael Key

“I always look forward to David Litt’s fiercely intelligent and funny take on the current state of things. If ever there was a time we needed a hilarious and thought-provoking look at how our democracy got to this point—and how we can save it—it’s now!”
— Billy Eichner

“Democracy in One Book or Less is by turns funny and illuminating. Litt combines his trademark humor and witty writing with an urgent call to fix American democracy. It’s a tragicomedy that makes you a better citizen while you laugh and shake your head in disbelief at our broken system.”
— Brian Klaas, assistant professor of global politics at University College London and columnist for the Washington Post

“Strikingly timely...He [Litt] offers ways to fix governmental ills that stymie all Americans and does so with a breezy and accessible wit.”
— The Guardian

“Democracy In One Book Or Less is a no-nonsense guide for how we, the people, can fix ourselves.”
— NPR

“David Litt, a former Obama speechwriter, brings Dave Barry-style humor to an illuminating book on what is wrong with American democracy — and how to put it right.”
— Washington Post

“...Wry, quickly readable, yet informed and edgy...whimsy and pop culture, enlisted toward the end of knowledge.”
— The Atlantic