How to write a speech for the president of the United States: skilled writers, lots of listening, studying and becoming a mirror

Writing speeches is, in a certain sense, be the mirror of another person.

“You can try to find the right words,” says Dan Cluchey, President Joe Biden’s former speechwriter. “But ultimately your job is to make sure that once the speech is finished, be a reflection of the speaker“.

This concept is infinitely amplified in the role of presidential speechwriter. Throughout American history, Those helpers absorbed the personalitiesthe peculiarities and cadence of the speeches of most powerful leader on the planetexpressing his thoughts in all types of public statements, from the most banal to the most historical and transcendental ones.

There are few moments during the presidency when the art – and the rigorous and often painful process – of speechwriting is more evident than during the State of the Union, when a president’s wide range of political aspirations and policy messages come together. meet in a carefully choreographed hour-long speech in the Capitol.

It is a process that, according to former White House speakers, It takes months, with countless discussions and contributions from various federal agencies and others. outside the president’s inner circle, working to make sure their favorite proposals deserve a mention. Speechwriters have the unenviable task of taking on themselves dozens of ideas and combine them In a coherent narrative of the president’s vision for the year.

This isn’t so much elegant prose as a list of political ideas.

Among all these formalities and limitations of the State of the Union address there is also the way a president delivers the speech.

The age of the president, a problem

Biden’s biggest political problem continues to be his age (81) and voters’ doubts about his ability to hold office (last week his doctor declared him fit for service). His every word is watched by Republican operatives, eager to catch any slip-ups that might sow doubts about Biden’s suitability among the public.

“This year, obviously, is an election year. There’s also a lot more talk about his age,” says Michael Waldman, President Bill Clinton’s speechwriter. “People will analyze him as much for how he delivers his speech as for what he says.“.

Biden will remain at Camp David until Tuesday and is expected to spend much of that time preparing for the State of the Union. Bruce Reed, White House deputy chief of staff, accompanied Biden to the presidential retreat outside Washington on Friday evening.

The White House said it was cutting costs, strengthening democracy and protecting women’s reproductive health will be some of the topics which Biden will talk about Thursday evening.

Biden probably won’t be at the top of the list of presidential speakers with more talent. What do you like most it’s the little casual encounters with Americanswhere interactions can be more improvised and intimate.

It is known that Biden hates Washington jargon and the alphabet soup of government acronyms, and challenged his participants to, when writing their speeches,reduce clutter and get to the point quickly. Cluchey, who worked for Biden from 2018 to 2022, said the president was deeply involved in the speech-writing process, down to individual lines and words.

Biden may also appear stiff at times when standing and reading from a teleprompter, but he immediately loosens and appears more comfortable when he switches to a handheld microphone during the speech. Biden has also learned to overcome his childhood stutter, which he says has helped him develop empathy for others facing similar challenges.

Former presidential speechwriters list a number of key aspects of capturing another person’s voice. One of them it’s listening to the person a lotto get an idea its rhythms and the way it uses language.

It is essential to maintain it many direct conversations with the president, to try to get into the thoughts of the commander in chief and learn how he frames and presents his arguments.

“It’s not an impression act, where you’re just trying to get the accent,” said Jeff Shesol, another former Clinton speechwriter. “What you really learn to do and have to learn to do – this goes for speechwriters in any role, but particularly for a president – ​​is to understand not just what it sounds like, but how he thinks“.

Shesol added, “You absorb not just the rhythms and cadences of speech, but a view of the world.”

Furthermore, there is always the possibility that the speaker sounds dull.

Biden is usually sincereand White House aides sometimes have to edit and clarify what you said in imperturbable moments. But other times, when deviates from the scripthe ends up improving what his assistants had prepared.

For example, last year’s State of the Union. Biden had launched a prepared attack against some Republicans who insisted on calling for renewed votes on popular programs like Medicare and Social Security, which would effectively jeopardize their fate every five years.

This caused Republican boos and shouts of “Liar!” of the public.

Biden immediately pivoted, encouraging Republicans to contact his office for a copy of the proposal and joking about it he was enjoying his “conversion”.

“Friends, it seems like we all agree that Social Security and Medicare are off the books, right? Won’t they touch each other?” Biden continued. The crowd of parliamentarians applauded. “Okay. Okay. We have unanimity.”

Speechwriters try to prepare for these moments, especially if a president is well-known speak extemporaneously.

Shesol recalls that Clinton speechwriters often wrote relatively short speeches, to prevent the president from deviating from his speech. The screenwriters wrote a clear structure in the speech that allowed Clinton easily return to your observations be prepared once their improvisation is finished.

“Clinton compared it to play a jazz solo and then return to the score“Waldman added.

Cluchey, when asked about his reaction to his former boss going off-script, described it as a “ballet with various movements, from, you know, panic, to ‘wait a minute, that’s actually really good ‘”, and then “He”. he really did it.'”

Biden is “at his best when He is more authentic, more relaxed, when he tells the pure truth“Cluchey said. “The speech writing process, even at the best of times, is very rigorous.”