Jon Favreau

Jonathan Edward Favreau (born June 2, 1981) is an American political commentator, podcaster, and the former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama.

Favreau attended the College of the Holy Cross, where he participated in community and civic programs, graduating as valedictorian.

From 1999 to 2000, he served on the Welfare Solidarity Project, eventually becoming its director.

In 2001, Favreau worked with Habitat for Humanity and a University of Massachusetts Amherst program to bring visitors to cancer patients.

He also earned a variety of honors in college, including the Vanicelli Award; being named the 2001 Charles A. Dana Scholar; memberships in the Political Science Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha, the College Honors Program, the Sociology Honor Society, Alpha Kappa Delta, and was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 2002.

He was an editor on his college newspaper, and during summers in college, he earned extra income selling newspapers as a telemarketer, while also interning in John Kerry's offices.

In 2002, he became head of an initiative to help unemployed individuals improve their résumés and interview skills.

Favreau graduated from the Jesuit College of the Holy Cross in 2003 as his class's valedictorian, with a degree in political science.

At Holy Cross, he was treasurer and debate committee chairman for the College Democrats, and studied classical piano.

After graduation, he went to work for the John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004, working to collect talk radio news for the campaign and was promoted to the role of Deputy Speechwriter.

Favreau first met Barack Obama, then a state senator from Illinois, while working on the Kerry campaign.

He joined Senator John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign soon after graduation from the College of the Holy Cross.

While working for the Kerry campaign, his job was to assemble audio clips of talk radio programs for the Kerry camp to review for the next day.

When the Kerry campaign began to falter at one point, they found themselves without a speechwriter, and Favreau was promoted to the role of deputy speechwriter.

Following Kerry's defeat, Favreau became dispirited with politics, and was uncertain if he would do such work again.

Favreau first met Obama (then an Illinois State Senator running for the U.S. Senate), while still working for Kerry, backstage at the 2004 Democratic National Convention as Obama was rehearsing his keynote address.

Favreau, then 23 years old, interrupted Obama's rehearsal, advising the soon-to-be-elected Senator that a rewrite was needed because Kerry wanted to use one of the lines.

In 2005, Obama's communications director Robert Gibbs recommended Favreau to Obama as a speechwriter.

Favreau was hired as Obama's speechwriter shortly after Obama's election to the United States Senate.

Obama and Favreau grew close, and Obama referred to him as his "mind reader".

He went on the campaign trail with Obama during his successful presidential election campaign.

Obama communications aide Robert Gibbs, who had worked for Kerry's campaign, recommended Favreau to Obama as an excellent writer, and in 2005 he began working for Barack Obama in his U.S. Senate office before joining his presidential campaign as chief speechwriter in 2006.

His interview with Obama was on the Senator's first day.

Uninterested in Favreau's résumé, Obama instead questioned Favreau on what motivated him to work in politics and his theory of writing.

He described this theory to Obama as, "A speech can broaden the circle of people who care about this stuff. How do you say to the average person that's been hurting: 'I hear you, I'm there?' Even though you've been so disappointed and cynical about politics in the past, and with good reason, we can move in the right direction. Just give me a chance."

Favreau led a speechwriting team for the campaign that included Ben Rhodes and Cody Keenan.

For his work with Obama in the campaign, he would wake as early as 5 a.m., and routinely stayed up until 3 a.m. working on speeches.

His leadership style among other Obama speechwriters was very informal.

They would often meet in a small conference room, discussing their work late into the evening over takeout food.

According to Rhodes, Favreau did not drive structured meetings with agendas.

"If he had, we probably would have laughed at him," Rhodes said.

Favreau was planning to hire more speechwriters to assist him, but conceded he was unsure of how to manage them.

According to him, "My biggest strength isn't the organization thing."

He has likened his position to "Ted Williams' batting coach", because of Obama's celebrated abilities as a speaker and writer.

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said of Favreau, "Barack trusts him... And Barack doesn't trust too many folks with that—the notion of surrendering that much authority over his own words."

In 2009, he was named to the White House staff as Director of Speechwriting.

In January 2017, he co-founded liberal media company Crooked Media with fellow former Obama staffers Tommy Vietor and Jon Lovett, and began co-hosting the political podcast Pod Save America with Vietor, Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer.

Favreau was born at Winchester Hospital and raised in nearby North Reading, Massachusetts, the son of Lillian ( DeMarkis), a schoolteacher, and Mark Favreau.

His father is of French Canadian descent and his mother is of Greek descent.

His grandfather, Robert Favreau, was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and described by Favreau as a "New England Republican."