Ben Rhodes on the Speeches That Shaped America

Ben Rhodes on the Speeches That Shaped America

From KQED's Forum by KQED

June 10, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

Ben Rhodes discusses his book on the speeches that have shaped American identity over the years.

What does it mean to be American? That’s the question that animates Ben Rhodes’s new book “All We Say: The Battle for American Identity.” Drawing on 15 speeches spanning more than two centuries, the former Obama speechwriter and national security adviser looks at how they shaped and reflected competing visions over race, democracy, belonging and power. We talk to Rhodes about the speeches he chose and what they say about American identity today. Guests: Ben Rhodes, author, "All We Say: The Battle for American Identity;" deputy national security advisor and speechwriter under President Obama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: KQED

Guest: Ben Rhodes

Topics covered

  • American identity
  • speeches
  • race
  • democracy
  • belonging
  • power

Keywords

  • American identity
  • Ben Rhodes
  • speeches
  • democracy
  • race
  • belonging
  • power

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: KQED

Books & works: All We Say: The Battle for American Identity

More episodes of KQED's Forum

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the KQED's Forum podcast page.