How the "cult of success" created Trump and Musk - Obama’s speechwriter
About this episode
Ben Rhodes discusses the impact of the 'cult of success' on figures like Trump and Musk, and the role of speeches in shaping American identity and politics.
From the White House situation room, to shaping the Obama administration's national security communication - few people have had a closer view of the forces shaping modern America than Ben Rhodes. As Barack Obama's speechwriter and Deputy National Security Adviser, Rhodes helped craft some of the defining messages of the Obama era and played a central role in major foreign policy decisions, including the Iran nuclear deal. Now, in his new book All We Say, he argues that speeches reveal the enduring battle over American identity, who belongs, who holds power, and what kind of country America wants to be. In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Krishnan Guru-Murthy talks to Ben about why Donald Trump succeeded where others failed, whether speeches still matter in the age of social media, the backlash to Barack Obama, the rise of populism, and the lessons history offers for today's political turmoil. They also discuss Gaza, Israel, Iran, the future of the Democratic Party, and whether politics has lost the ability to tell a compelling story about where society is heading next.
People in this episode
Host: Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Guest: Ben Rhodes
Topics covered
- politics
- American identity
- populism
- speechwriting
- foreign policy
- social media
Keywords
- Ben Rhodes
- Trump
- Obama
- populism
- speechwriting
- American identity
- foreign policy
- social media
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Obama administration, Democratic Party
Places: Gaza, Israel, Iran
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- Carlo Rovelli: Are we sleepwalking towards nuclear war?
- What Gareth Southgate can teach Britain - ‘Dear England’ writer James Graham
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